Baby Blues
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Follows A Baby Bump In The Road - A lot of changes need to be made now that's Emily's pregnant. A lot of changes Emily doesn't like. Can she and the team find a middle ground? Can they do it without the Nighlok finding out? And what will Mia's dad have to say about this mess?
1. Miserable Emily

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers: (Super) Samurai. This is purely fan-made.

Slowly, but surely, the Samurai were adapting to their new roles. While most of them hadn't changed, the switch with Emily and Serena did affect how they faced new Nighlok. One, already, had turned up, and the Samurai had found it difficult adapting to Serena in the yellow spandex. Fortunately, she had been able to take up her new role as yellow Samurai. Serrator was bound to turn up again soon, but he hadn't done so yet. It was a relief for the Samurai, but nerve-wracking all the same. When he had long absences, he usually came back with a devastating plan. They could only hope he hadn't noticed the shift in the Rangers.

Mike was also coming back from his concussion. He had missed the last battle, but had been cleared to fight in any upcoming ones, and was currently outside training with Kevin and Jayden. Now, as a father to be, he needed to do all he could to protect not just his family, but all his friends. Emily had made it clear she hated sitting on the sidelines because she couldn't stand the thought of being helpless while someone was getting hurt. Mike wanted to make sure she never had that guilt on her shoulders. Being a pregnant Samurai was tough enough on her, and the fact that Ji hadn't spoken to her since her announcement had also shaken her up. He didn't want her living with the guilt of knowing her friends were hurt because she had to step down from her role.

Speaking of Ji, he had distanced himself from Emily, largely due to disappointment. He wouldn't speak to her unless it was necessary. He still cooked meals for her, and catered her meals to suit her needs. Now that she was pregnant, she had to make sure she was getting all the nutrients she and the baby needed. He was still very much a caregiver in every way but emotional. A huge part of it was disappointment and shock, another part was Ji's own failure and guilt. It was his responsibility to look out for the Samurai and prevent theses life changing mistakes, and yet one of his very important, very young, only eighteen years old Samurai was now with child. There was a baby's life in danger, the Rangers' life in danger, and the world was in danger.

Emily watched Mike, Jayden, and Kevin train from the window, where she sat and played with Terran. Her new role now consisted mostly of jobs from the Shiba House. She would still sit in on team meetings and give her thoughts of what needed to be done to destroy the Nighlok, but when they went out to battle, she prepared the house for their return. Having real experience in a fight meant she knew what the Rangers needed most when they came home. It was a lot more than a few ice-packs and bandages. Emily made sure they had water, they had snacks, medication, bandages, gauze, and a nice, clean, comfortable place to sit down. More often than not, Emily remembered coming back home, only to remember she had been in the middle of doing the laundry, washing dishes, or some other chore which needed to be finished. Coming home after a long fight, only to find there was still more work that needed to be done was exhausting.

The Samurai insisted because of Emily's new job, battles were easier. Everything would be done when they got home, and everything would be ready for their rest, recovery, and relaxation period. Emily knew they were trying to help, but it wasn't the same. She wanted to be the yellow Ranger.

She didn't want to be the nanny. Another huge change in her life was that she was now Terran's main babysitter. James was still around while Serena trained and fought Nighlok, but when Terran cried for mommy and she was busy, Emily needed to step up. She felt like she was already a mother, and her own child wasn't even born yet.

"BA!" Terran stuffed a block in her face, trying to get her attention. They were playing his favourite game, where she would build a castle out of blocks and he would knock it all down. He never got tired of the game.

Emily looked away from the window with a sigh. She built up a castle and then gave Terran the signal to rip it all down. He swung his arms and beat the fragile castle until it was nothing but scattered blocks, and then looked up to his auntie Emy to see her laughing, only she wasn't.

"Good job, Terran," she said with no excitement in her voice, excitement Terran craved. Sensing there was something troubling his aunt, he did what he saw his aunts, uncles, and his parents did when someone was upset. He threw his arms around her. Emily hugged him and gave a little sigh, "I love you too. Sorry, Terran, I just don't want to play anymore."

It was almost like he understood every word. He dropped the blocks he was holding in his hands and then raced over to his box of toys. He pulled out a book and ran back to Emily. He loved it when she read to him. She always had funny voices, strange tones, and she made a lot of sounds. He sat in her lap, got comfortable, and then opened the book. Emily started to read, and tried her best not to disappoint Terran, though she really didn't feel like exaggerating anything in the story to make him laugh.

From the kitchen, James was drying the dishes and looking over to the common room. Emily had accepted her new role on the team, but it was painfully obvious she hated it. He never thought he would see the day she didn't do all she could to make Terran happy. It was a powerful sign that told him just how low she had sunk.

"I'm worried about her," James turned to the kitchen table, where Kate was trying to deal with the backlash of telling Mike's and Emily's parents about the pregnancy through an email. Unfortunately, the no-contact rule was still in effect, and in spite of the special occasion, Ji insisted the parents stay away from the Shiba House. Not only were Mike's and Emily's parents furious about their grandchild coming into the world at such a terrible time, but they were furious they couldn't deal with their own kids, and hated how they had to rely on Ji and Kate. Even Ellie, who had considered Kate a dear friend, and who had openly stated several times that she trusted her with both her daughters, no matter what, was enraged about leaving Kate in charge of Emily at this time.

The fact that this was an issue that could only be resolved through email made it worst. Kate massaged her temples and drank her coffee. She had been dealing with the back and forth from both sets of parents for a couple of weeks now and was thankful she didn't have any children of her own. They were a headache and a half.

"I'd help, James," Kate said, hardly paying him any attention, "but Mike's dad just called me the queen of all bitches because I'm enforcing the no-contact rule. He's also yelling at me because he has no idea who I am and I have no right to keep an eye on his son or future grandchild."

James walked over to the table and closed Kate's laptop, "They can wait," he said. "I'm worried about Emily. A happy mother equals a happy baby. You know stress isn't good for either of them."

"And this life is hardly stress free," Kate shook her head, "We're doing all we can…"

James sighed, "We need to do more."

"Like what?" Kate asked. "James, if Emily goes out to fight, who knows what could happen to her."

"Isn't that always the case?" James pointed out with a shrug of his shoulders, "I don't know what goes on in your head when you watch them leave, but my stomach starts to turn, my brain goes into overdrive as I imagine the worst. I mean, all it takes is one little mistake and I could be widowed before I'm even married. Isn't there always a risk?"

"But with a baby…"

"Emily's miserable!" James pointed to the common room, where Emily had given up on reading to Terran and now he was trying to cheer her up by reading (babbling) to her. James grew even more concerned. Terran felt responsible for cheering up his aunt. Terran wasn't supposed to have _any_ responsibilities. "Kate, we need to do something."

"Do what you want," Kate opened up her laptop again, "I'm dealing with the parents."

"Kate…"

"I'm up to my elbows in profanities," Kate sighed, "I'm sorry, James, I want to help but I can't."

James sighed as he walked to the common room. There were enough people home, so he took Terran from Emily's lap and put the boy in his playpen.

"James…"

"We're going on a walk," James told her, "Just you and I."

"Why?"

"Just a chat. Have cravings started yet? I hear ice-cream is something pregnant women like."

"I don't feel like ice-cream," Emily shook her head. She started to clean up Terran's blocks. She didn't want the Samurai stepping on them. James grabbed her hand gently.

"I do. You and I need bonding time. You're Serena's sister, I should get to know you."

"I'm Emily and I'm a screw up."

"Stop it, Em. We're going out for the afternoon. We'll forget about this Samurai crap. Ice-cream, my treat."

"Will you leave me alone once we get home?"

James nodded his head, "Promise."

"Fine. I'll just tell the others. You know how crazy paranoid they are."

"Must be tough," James said. Emily turned to him with a curious look, so he elaborated, "I mean, no one's really been in your position before. Well, Serena's been pregnant, but it's like you always say, she wasn't a Ranger then. It's different."

Emily nodded her head, "It's always been different for her, for everyone. Do you know how hard I've tried to make my place here? It took me months to feel like I was worth everyone's time and effort. It took me forever to realize these people are actually my friends, and that I'm actually an important part of their lives. Now I go and screw it all up."

"That does sound rough," James said.

Emily looked out the window again. Mike, Jayden, and Kevin were all having a lot of fun testing new symbols out on dummies, while Serena, Mia, and Ji worked on Serena's fear of Serrator. Though she was a great Ranger, she was useless against Serrator, and therefore useless to the team if he decided to show his face. If she was going to be a Ranger, the yellow Ranger, she was going to have to overcome her fear. Emily sighed. They all said they understood life was getting harder for her. Mike even said he knew what she was going through because he was also having a baby, but expecting a child and being pregnant were very different. He would still have his body for nine months. He could still be a Ranger for nine months. He wasn't being coddled and checked up on every five minutes.

"You know my confidence was really bad when I came here, right?"

"I've heard," James nodded. "I also heard that kick-ass story about that insult Nighlok."

Emily shrugged her shoulders, "I had one goal for myself when Serena told me I would be the yellow Ranger: don't get anyone killed."

"Really?" James asked, "That's it? You didn't want to defeat a thousand Moogers? Single-handedly pilot the Megazord? Be the team hero at least once?"

"I just didn't want someone to die, and if someone did die… I wanted it to be me. I was just the replacement, right?"

"Em…"

"I don't feel that way anymore," Emily shook her head, "The team counts on me now. They care about me. They trust me. Now I feel like… I feel like I'm back to square one. I feel like I'm just wasted space, only this time I know I can do better. I know I can help them but… I can't."

James wrapped his arm around Emily's shoulders, "Then you definitely need ice-cream."

"James…"

"I insist, Em. You're dealing with a lot. We'll go to the ice-cream parlour and you can talk to me about it. I'll listen. I promise. I won't even try to make you feel better, unless you want me to. Just you and me. In-laws day."

He guided her outside and announced to the Samurai that they were going for ice-cream. Ji looked like he wanted to say something, but James held up his hand. Ji was doing nothing to help Emily bounce back, and therefore had no say on what anyone did to help her. James didn't care if Ji was the ruler of the planet, and made a law requiring Emily stay home where she was safe. He had no idea.

"We'll be careful," James promised. "Low-profile. The Nighlok won't even know we're humans."

James then lifted Emily up on his back, "Alright, munchkin, enjoy this ride, because before long, little munchkin will prevent you from doing this."

"Keep your Samuraizer on!" Mike called to Emily as James carried her off, "Don't stay out too late! Stay in public. Blend in with the crowd! If a Nighlok does show up don't be a hero! We'll be there to help you before you know it!"

"Mike, she gets it," Mia chuckled. Mike shrugged his shoulders.

"What? I worry. That's my wife and my baby leaving the safety of the house. It's a two for one combo!"

"She'll be fine," Jayden assured him. Mike nodded his head and got back to work. He wanted to master his constricting vines before the end of the hour. He knew the basics, but there was always something new he could learn about a specific symbol, and there was always a way to gain more strength and control. Right now, he needed all the strength and control he could get.

He trained until his muscles were tired, and until Jayden and Kevin had had enough and left him alone to finish off. Not wanting to train by himself, Mike called it quits, grabbed his towel, and wiped the sweat from his face. Picking up his water bottle, he glanced over his shoulder and saw Mia stepping outside. She had gone in to shower nearly an hour before, after Emily and James had left, and was just now coming back out. Mike saw she was headed his way and sighed. He sat down in the grass. She looked like she wanted to talk to him. She came over to him with a book and sat down next to him.

"I've gotten the speech," he sighed. "Serena really let me have it, you know."

Mia nodded her head and chuckled slightly. From the window, she had seen it. It was the night of the big announcement, after everyone had learned Emily was pregnant and all the decisions involving the pregnancy had been made.

"_Why the hell is my sister pregnant and alone?" Serena wanted to slap Mike on the head but had to restrain herself. Unfortunately, Mia had taken that away from her._

"_She's not alone. There's just something we don't agree on…"_

"_Is the kid yours?"_

"_I hope so," Mike nodded. Serena punched the fence behind him, just missing his head. Mike cowered slightly, "Yes."_

"_So then why aren't you at her beck-and-call and following her every command?"_

"_Serena it's…"_

"_She's carrying your kid, Michael. She's already as uncomfortable as any human being can get and for the next nine months it's going to get worse! I don't give a damn what you think, what you're going through, or what problems you have, you will support her, you will take care of her, and you are not leaving her side EVER!"_

_Serena punched the fence again. Mike did not feel safe._

"_I want to do that! She's not listening to me!"_

"_Does this look like a face that cares about you?" Serena asked. Mike shook his head. Serena huffed loudly in anger and then stormed off. Mike could see, given how badly she was shaking, she had wanted to hurt him bad. He was suddenly very grateful for the beating he had received from Mia. Serena would have done a lot worse._

Mike gulped, remembering the talk. Serena still terrified him. No matter how long he lived, no matter how strong he felt, Serena would forever scare him. He turned to Mia with a thankful look on his face, "I owe you big. She'd have beaten me bad if you hadn't done it already."

"You're welcome, I guess," Mia sighed. She hugged her knees to her chest, "Mike, this whole baby thing…"

"I'll be a good dad, and a good husband. You know me, Mia."

"Yeah, exactly. I know you. You'll be a great father when you're ready for it, but…"

"I'm ready for it. I'll be ready for it."

"You know, it's a huge responsibility," Mia said, "What you did for Terran when he was born, that's nothing compared to what you'll have to do for your own baby. You won't have Serena to lean on. It'll be just you and Emily. You'll be tired, she'll be tired. Do you think you can do this?"

"Mia…"

"I'm serious, Mike, do you think you can do this? Admitting you're scared now is better than hiding it forever."

"I'm a little scared," Mike nodded his head sadly, "What if something happens, Mia? Whose genius idea was it to wrap wives and babies together? Everything I love is in one tiny package and if something happens…"

"You'll lose both of them. You know, you should have thought of that when…"

"We did us protection, Mia. We were smart. Fate's just screwing with us."

"Then here," Mia lifted the book she had brought with her, "I'll be now you're a little happy I'm so obsessed with happy endings. I saw this book in the store the other day, before this whole pregnancy thing, and I couldn't resist."

"Why your bundle of joy isn't always a little bundle of joy? You bought a baby book?"

"A prepared mother is a good mother," Mia nodded, "Reading it couldn't hurt. Certainly wouldn't get me pregnant. Scared the shit out of Kevin, though, when he first saw me reading it."

Mike chuckled and tried to imagine his blue brother's face, "This book should come with a camera."

"Be ready for what you know is going to happen," Mia tapped the book and looked Mike right in the eye, "You've been through this once with Serena, but it's a whole new game when it's your wife and when it's your own baby. Read it, memorize it, live by it. It'll cover everything from now until baby's first birthday."

"Thanks, Mia," Mike smiled and wrapped his arm around her, "You're really awesome."

"Are we even now? You know, because of the whole protect you against Serena thing and now the baby book, we're even, right?"

"Not quite," Mike smirked and whipped out his Samuraizer, "Hold still."

"Mike…"

"You could have killed me. Just one more thing. Hold still and it won't hurt."

"What are you…?" Mia looked down as the grass grew thick and tall and wrapped itself around her legs, burying the lower half of her body, "Michael."

"Don't move. Grass cuts hurt more than paper cuts."

"Mike!" Mia screamed as he got up and raced inside the house. She struggled to free herself from the grass, but it was stronger than it looked. Mike was getting better, to Mia's dismay.

Finally, he came back out with a bucket. Mia hoped it was an empty bucket and for a moment was happy when she saw she was right. Then Mike put the bucket on her head.

"Mike!" he voice echoed inside the bucket. She tried to lift her hands to take it off, but the grass grew around her wrists, holding them down. Mike then pulled a spoon out from his back pocket – a big, thick wooden spoon. He started banging it on the bucket.

"This is payback for giving me the worst headache of my life!" he shouted over the sound of his pounding against the bucket with a spoon. After a couple of minutes he stopped and removed the bucket. The grass returned to its normal size, setting Mia free. Unfortunately, her head was pounding so hard she couldn't get up and chase after Mike when he ran away.


	2. In-Law Day

James had gotten both himself and Emily huge ice-cream sundaes and they were eating it in the parlour. James had opted for a booth away from the window. He knew Emily was a huge target. Serrator had made obvious he wanted either her or Serena, and if any Nighlok knew she was pregnant, they would be hunting her down to kill her. James didn't want to take the risk, and it wasn't because Serena would kill him if he put her in danger. He genuinely liked Emily. Family was very important for him, just like it was for the Samurai, but the Samurai, Serena's family, held a special place in his heart. Knowing they had been raised to carry the world on their shoulders, all he wanted to do was take some of that pressure away from them. Watching them thrive and have fun always tugged at his heartstrings. When they suffered, especially when it was what the Samurai would call normal problems, James wanted to take them in his arms and protect them. The world had been cruel enough to them by asking them to take on the responsibilities of being Rangers. They didn't need to tackle all these human issues as well.

And Emily had the ability to become anyone's little sister, and not the annoying kind. With the exception of Serena and Terran, James wanted to protect her the most. Fate had been especially cruel to her.

"Normally you wolf these down," he told her and gestured to her sundae, which was only half eaten while his was gone. "You're the ice-cream queen."

"I told you, I didn't really feel like ice-cream," Emily pushed the bowl towards James, offering him her second half. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Pregnant women scare me," James chuckled. Emily gave him a funny look.

"You started dating my sister when she was visibly pregnant with a Nighlok's baby."

"They scare and arouse me, then."

Emily leaned back into the booth, away from James, "Mike wouldn't like me being on this date, then."

"Relax, I'm kidding," James chuckled. He took a small scoop of Emily's ice-cream, "How are you and Mike, by the way? Is he being a good husband?"

"He's trying," Emily nodded. "I'm getting back massages and foot rubs and stuff, though I keep telling him that's usually a treat later on."

"He probably feels bad for benching you," James said, "You know we all do, right? We just want what's best for…"

"Me and baby," Emily sighed. "I want what's best for us to, and I really don't think it's sitting around at the Shiba House."

"You can really clean a house, though," James smirked. "I think the Rangers bounce back a lot faster now that you give them time to rest."

"How do you do it?" Emily asked and looked up at James sadly, "I've only sat out a couple of fights and I could feel the baby's stomach turning in worry. How can you sit back every fight and just… hope?"

"Hope can be pretty powerful," James told her with a little shrug of his shoulders, "You're Samurai. You were all trained for this. I have to trust you know what you're doing. I have to try you're out there doing your best to come home. I do get scared. I get very scared."

"It doesn't show."

"I know you don't feel like this is best, but the majority of the house…"

"It's my baby," Emily said, "Mine and Mike's. Shouldn't we make the decisions?"

"He did."

"Yeah, he did, with all of you. Jayden took my Samuraizer from me! I didn't even hand it over! He ripped it right out of my pocket. How am I supposed to be okay with that?"

"I guess you're not," James shook his head. He touched Emily's hand, "Nobody said this would be easy…"

"Nobody said this would be so damn hard," Emily dropped her head on the table, "And I didn't even ask for this! I mean, I know what I did and why this happened to me, but it's not fair! You know, Mia had two pregnancy scares and nothing!"

"Mia's had two?"

"Once a long time ago," Emily lifted her head and rubbed her forehead. She hadn't intended to drop her head on the table so hard, "and once after a Nighlok attack. She and Mike slept together and…"

"What?"

"She almost had Mike's baby. Then we went to the zoo and she got her period and we all celebrated."

"What?" James asked again. Emily saw the expression on his face and laughed. She could have sworn he knew all about the love-inducing Nighlok, but it seemed Serena hadn't filled him in. James heard her laughing and shook his head, "No, seriously, I'm not trying to be funny. Mike and Mia almost had a baby together? When the hell did that happen?"

"It was a Nighlok."

"Another Nighlok baby?"

"No, the Nighlok made us all love each other. Jayden and I were in love, Mike loved Mia, Mia loved Jayden… it was a big mess. It all pretty much ended with Antonio catching Mia and Mike in the act, and because the Nighlok messed them up they didn't use protection, then Mia was late, but it was just stress and stuff. She didn't end up pregnant."

"So Mia and Mike have…"

"Yep."

"And you and Mike have… since?"

"I try not to think about it," Emily wrinkled her nose, "I don't know about you, but I don't think about my sister when I'm having sex."

James chuckled, "I could make a really bad joke here."

"Please don't," Emily took her spoon back in her hand and finally took another bite of her ice-cream, "I was just saying, Mia's gotten scares like these twice and nothing's ever happened. One time, and I get a baby."

"Life's really not fair to you, Emily," James shook his head and helped Emily finish off her ice-cream, making sure to leave the ball of ice-cream and chocolate sauce for her, knowing it was her favourite of all the toppings, "But you'll come out of this stronger. I guarantee it, and you'll have a beautiful baby to show for it."

"I hope so," Emily sighed, "With Xandred and Serrator…"

"They won't even find out," James said, "Well, I don't promise that, but we'll keep the baby safe, no matter what. He or she will be fine."

Emily looked down at her stomach, "I want a girl."

"Yeah?"

"I have Terran, and maybe, way far down the road when I have another kid, I'll want my own boy, but right now, I like the thought of a little girl."

"A girl would suit you," James smiled, "Serena would probably like a niece too. Sometimes, when we're out shopping for Terran, I see her straying to the girl's department."

James took Emily's hand and smiled, "You know, Serena's pretty excited."

"She is?"

"I think she's more excited than disappointed," James nodded his head, "A little freaked out too because, well…"

"Yeah," Emily chuckled.

"Look, Emily, it's going to be tough, but we're all working really hard to make this work out. All we want to do is help you get through this, and get through it with a smile. I think, we've really got a shot at pulling this all off: the happy families, saving the world, being normal for once."

James saw Emily's eyes light up when he mentioned being normal. Now, more than ever, he assumed she must really want that life. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, "It's not over yet."

Emily smiled brightly, "You really think we can pull this off? Even when I'm as big as a planet and grouchy and whiny and…"

"If Xandred's not gone by then, we'll use you to scare him off. Nothing can survive the wrath of a cranky pregnant woman."

"And Serrator, Dekker, and Dayu?"

"Distant memories."

"And the team?"

"Safe and sound and helping you and Mike get ready for your little baby girl… or boy. I'd love a nephew, you know."

"You'll get whatever comes out," Emily chuckled and shook her head, "and you'll be happy with it because, trust me, there will be a huge age gap between this little monkey and her little sibling. It worked for Serena and I."

"Huge age gap, huh?" James sighed, "I guess that means you've got no stories from when Serena was a baby."

"I've got stories from when she was a teenager. Before she was sick."

James leaned in attentively, "I'm listening."


	3. Apologize For Being Useless

Emily gulped loudly. James had been right in the ice-cream parlour: this wasn't over. Her life was changing, and it was changing quickly, but it sure as hell wasn't over.

Her team had done wonders for her. When she had assumed they would hate her and exile her, they had done the opposite. They had been understanding, they had been loving; they had been somewhat cruel when they took away her Samuraizer, ripping it right out of her hands, but she knew what they were trying to do, and she was grateful for them and their good intentions.

But there were patches. There were still so many patches and she needed to fix them. For starters, she needed to make amends with Ji. She summoned up the courage to knock on his bedroom door and waited for an answer. Kate was the one to open the door. Emily looked down nervously.

"I… can I…"

Kate knew what she was asking. It was obvious by Emily's hesitation. She looked over her shoulder and saw Ji was shaking his head. It seemed he didn't want to talk to the young Samurai. Kate took it as a yes, though, and invited Emily in while excusing herself from the room. Ji let out a heavy sigh of discontent. Emily knew she wasn't welcomed.

"I can leave," she gestured over her shoulder. Ji sighed again and shook his head.

"You're here now. Say what you want to say."

Emily looked down at her feet, wishing they could take her somewhere else. Now, though, they were frozen on the spot. Ji was a father figure to her, and the fact that she had disappointed him hurt her quite a bit. She wanted to make things right. She had to make things right. The team would never be normal again, but that didn't mean they couldn't come close to it.

"I'm sorry, Mentor. I know I've let you down," she played with her hands nervously, "If it makes a difference, Mike and I were as safe as…"

"You weren't safe enough."

Emily nodded her head, accepting his words as fact. He was right, after all. She was pregnant. Obviously she and Mike hadn't been safe enough.

"You're right. I'm sorry. You're… you were… When you said I was useless…"

Ji had slight look of regret on his face. He had been mad at Emily and Mike the day he called her useless and he hadn't meant it the way it came out. He did mean something closer to it, though, and so hadn't apologized.

"You're not… useless…"

"Yeah, I was," Emily nodded, "I cause problems, I'm a huge mess, and it's not because of the hormones. You were right, I've let everyone down. Now I'm benched, and Serena's taken my place, but we're still a Ranger down. She should be white. I should be yellow. I've had everyone counting on me and I blew it. I'm sorry, Mentor."

She bowed slightly to stress the apology and hoped Ji would accept it. She didn't expect an instant fix but wanted this to be a step in the right direction. Ji sighed.

"We cannot change what has happened. I do not believe in abortion."

"Neither do I," Emily shook her head. She knew that was the closest she would get to hearing _"I forgive you._" She gulped again and then cleared her throat. She dug her feet firmly into the ground. "I didn't get pregnant by myself, though. I know I'm with child, and I'm the one who can't fight anymore, but Mike did this to me too."

Ji looked to Emily in shock, "And you're here throwing him under the bus? Emily…"

"I'm not throwing him under the bus. I've accepted responsibility for my mistake, and I know Mike has too. I'm not asking you to punish him or give him the cold shoulder like you're giving me, but I'm not alone in this."

"Emily…"

"He's going to be a great dad, a great husband, and he's still going to be an amazing Samurai. We're all going to be great with what we do. I'm not letting this baby ruin us anymore. I'll stand on the sidelines. I'll help from the house. I'll administer first aid and do all I can from here, and the Samurai are going to do all they can out there. We're not done yet."

"We are not," Ji nodded. He gestured to the door, "Are you done?"

Emily looked a little upset when it seemed Ji wouldn't budge, but she nodded her head, gave a polite bow, and then walked out of his room. Ji looked back down at his work and sighed. He held his head in his hands.

"Damn kids," he muttered before getting up and walking out of his room. He saw Kate in the hallway waiting for him. He gave her a look, "Eavesdropping?"

"Niece trumps boyfriend all the time," Kate nodded. "Ji, Emily just apologized to you for being called useless. You know she's not."

"I know," Ji nodded, "That was not what I meant. I meant…"

"Open your eyes, Ji. We're losing Emily, but even a team of six is a hell of a lot more than previous generations, and our Samurai have a lot of help at the house. More than in the past."

"The help is a liability."

"Anyone scared of dying can leave this house whenever they please. No one signed a contract, Ji. We all know the dangers."

"The baby…"

"You let Terran stay."

"Terran…"

"Is even more vulnerable," Kate shook her head, "He's no longer constantly protected by Serena. He's walking around now. He finds trouble everywhere. I just baby proofed the toilet because he almost drowned the other day!"

Kate touched Ji arm, "The kids mean a lot to you. You're scared, aren't you? You're scared you'll fail. That's why you got angry with Emily. The odds someone comes home hurt is higher now."

"I promised their parents I would take care of them," Ji nodded. "They were children when their parents realized they would take part in this war. Emily was just a baby, unaware her destiny would lead to this."

"You're not a protector," Kate shook her head, "I am. I've failed, Ji. You're their mentor. You guide them. No matter what, you are meant to help them. You haven't failed yet."

Ji nodded. Kate wrapped her arms around him. She gave him a kiss on the cheek. Ji returned the hug and held her tight in his arms. He had taken quite a hit, and would forever feel like he had let down all the Samurai by allowing a pregnancy to happen in his house during a war, but Kate was right, he hadn't failed.


	4. Home Invasion

It was the strangest thing, but Emily knocked on her own door. She knew Mike was inside the room playing a video game, trying to get a moment of peace and quiet. His video game time was very important to him, and he hated to be interrupted. Emily didn't know what could draw him in for hours on end. She had played with him and she had had a good time doing so. Occasionally it was great to pass the time, but she couldn't make a hobby out of it.

But when she opened the door she saw something else. Mike was relaxing on the bed with a book in his hands – not a comic book. Emily almost had the baby then and there. Mike looked over to her and chuckled.

"Mia let me borrow it," he waved Emily over, "She had this really good idea."

Emily approached the bed and then reached out and poked Mike with a single finger, just to make sure he was real. He laughed and pulled her on the bed and then wrapped her in his arms.

"Mia made me admit I was a little scared."

"You're not going to push a football out of… you know," Emily looked down at her stomach, "Why can't babies shrink and expand?"

Mike chuckled and shook his head, "I'm scared of what happens after that, and even before that. You're going to be so fat."

"You're not helping," Emily crossed her arms over her chest. Mike kissed the top of her head.

"Do you remember how fat Serena got? She didn't even reach full term. Mia suggested I read this because we have no idea what's going to happen with the Nighlok and the end of the world, so the best thing I can do is be ready for what I know is going to happen. We're going to have this baby."

Emily let out a heavy sigh, "If it helps, I've made a decision."

"About?"

"You guys are right, I'm safer here. The baby's safer here. I mean, you can't stop me from fighting if you guys really, really need me, but I'm happy to help from here, inside the house."

Mike sat up. There was really no other decision to be made. The entire house had voted against Emily and had ripped her Samuraizer away from her and presented her with Serena's white one, which offered extra protection to keep the baby safe, but wouldn't be great for fighting real, every day battles. Mike knew she had been upset. She had given him the cold shoulder for days after that, and had been in a miserable mood since. He had tried all he could to cheer her up, but it seemed as long as she was pregnant and benched, she wouldn't be happy. This change of mind and change of attitude caught him by surprise.

"Are you sure?"

Emily nodded and smiled, "You guys know what you're doing. I still feel bad I can't help anymore, but I'll just be more trouble if I'm out there with you. Whether I like it or not, you'll all be protecting me… a lot more than you usually do. You could get hurt. That's exactly what I don't want to happen. Just promise me something."

"I'll be safe," Mike smiled and gave her a kiss. When they pulled apart, he let out a heavy sigh, "Em, you have no idea how relieved I feel right now."

Emily grinned and leaned in for another kiss. She interrupted it, though and looked Mike in the eyes, "By the way, I kind of threw you under the bus to Ji."

"What? Why?"

"He's mad at me for being pregnant, but you made me pregnant! It's not fair!"

"So you throw me under the bus?" Mike asked. He lifted the book back up, "Alright, two can play this game. Did you know the contractions are the body's way of pushing the baby through the birth canal? Head first. Given how stubborn we both are, junior's going to have a huge, hard head."

Emily pressed her hands to her ears, trying to block him out, "I'm sorry!"

"All you'll have is ten centimeters to push out a baby. You now, that's only like, this big. Terran's head was bigger than that, wasn't it?"

"Scars!" Emily buried her face in her pillow and tried not to think back to when she had delivered her nephew. She had had nightmares for months afterwards, and had seriously considered adoption. Mike reached around and tickled her sides before pulling her into his arms and holding her.

"When the baby does come out, it'll be a screaming, bloody, maybe even shitty mess."

"LALALALA!" Emily shouted as she tried to tune Mike out.

"You'll be crying, sweating, you really won't be pretty at all. I mean, remember Serena? James was lucky he didn't see how hideous she looked."

"I hate you," Emily looked up at Mike and tried to squirm out of his grasp. "I really, really hate you."

"And, you know, this whole process could take hours! I can't imagine…" Mike was interrupted when one of his dirty socks was stuffed in his mouth. His eyes widened in horror and he quickly spit it out and tossed it away, "Ugh! That's disgusting!"

"Serves you right," Emily crawled away from Mike and sat at the end of the bed. "New rule: no scaring me with baby facts."

Mike laughed, but he was cut off again, this time by the Gap Sensor. He looked to Emily sadly, but she smiled back at him.

"I'm fine. Go."

Mike nodded and gave her a kiss before racing out to join the others, hearing the Gap Sensor had been triggered by an army of Moogers down by the harbour. As he and the Samurai left, Emily went to the common room to turn on the TV and to get everything set up for their return. Even simple Moogers could cause severe injuries. It was best to be prepared for everything.

As she pulled out the first aid-kit and made sure there were enough ice-packs and frozen peas ready for use when the Ranger returned, Emily noticed she had help in the common room. James was cleaning up the mess from the game Jayden and Antonio had been playing before the alarm.

"What are you…?"

"You're not the only stay-at-home Samurai," James chuckled. "It's a lot of work cleaning and setting up and preparing snacks. I thought I'd help."

"Thanks," Emily smiled and returned to work in the kitchen to get started on the snacks. A little something light for everyone that would help after a battle. They would need an energy boost. As she worked, setting out six plates for each of the Rangers, she heard Storm barking angrily. "Storm!" she called to her dog, commanding she quiet down, but the barking didn't cease. Instead, it got louder and laced with growls. Emily poked her head out of the kitchen. At that very moment, the doorbell rang. Emily walked down the hall, lifted Storm in her arms so the little dog couldn't attack and opened the door. A scream escaped her lips when she saw who had made it to the doorstep. Hearing her cry, James, Ji, and Kate all rushed out from their respective parts of the house, just as Emily turned to run away from Dayu. Ji and Kate stood before Dayu in the hallway while James took Emily and Terran in his arms. He could fight, and had done so before, but he was a last resort fighter. If Ji and Kate couldn't hold Dayu off, it was up to him.

Screw it, if Ji and Kate couldn't hold Dayu off, James wouldn't stand a chance. Realizing this, he pulled Emily along to another room of the house, hoping they could hide until the Rangers got home.

In the hallway, Ji and Kate glared at Dayu. With the shields up, it was impossible for her to be standing where she was. Noticing the curious looks on their faces at her presence in their home, Dayu flicked her thumb over her shoulder.

"A creation from Serrator and Octoroo. You should be proud of yourselves, those two actually managed to work together long enough to create something just for you."

Ji glanced over Dayu's shoulder and saw a Nighlok standing around the Gate. It seemed to be eating something. When Ji got a closer look, he saw the Nighlok was eating symbols, weakening the shields and allowing Dayu talk up to the house unharmed. Dayu grinned brightly, "We should have done this a long time ago."

"What are you doing here?" Ji asked her. Dayu invited herself in and closed the door.

"In the last battle, Serrator noticed you Rangers seemed to be one down. At first glance, we assumed he had gotten his way with Serena, but then we noticed… boy, the little ones grow quickly, don't they?"

Ji worriedly clenched his fists. She was referring to the yellow Ranger, who was noticeably taller. Emily, by a rather big margin, was shortest of the team. Serena was taller than Mia, and almost as tall as Mike.

"Serrator thought he would send me to come check up on the Rangers. Make sure everything was okay," Dayu pulled out her sword and grinned.

Ji shook his head, "Everything is fine."

"I was told to see for myself. Out of my way, old man," Dayu said as she rushed forward. Ji grabbed his Samuraizer and called his sword. Metal clashed with metal as he brought it up just in time. Dayu grinned wickedly. She did love a good challenge. She swung at Ji again. He parried her blows until Kate joined the fight, smacking Dayu in the back of the head with the only weapon she could grab: a training sword. Dayu felt a headache coming on, but was otherwise unharmed. She turned around to face Kate and smiled, "You're new."

Sensing an attack from behind, Dayu turned around, caught Ji's sword with her hand (injuring herself slightly) and then slashed him three times across the chest, tearing through the fabric of his kimono and through his skin. Ji let out a cry of pain as he dropped to the ground, clutching his chest with both hands to try and slow the bleeding.

"Ji!" Kate cried when she saw him wounded and failed to stop Dayu's next attack. She was knocked into the wall and her head forcibly slammed back, breaking through the dry wall. Kate slumped to the ground.

Dayu wiped the dust off her hands and had a look around the house. The yellow Ranger was here somewhere. She had been the one to answer the door.

"Easy way," she called out, knowing the yellow Ranger could hear her, "or hard way."

-Samurai-

"Don't look back, got it?" James told Emily as he quickly packed her a backpack of Terran's things. "All you need to do is run and keep running. The safest place you can go is Mia's house."

"Mia's?"

"I know where it is and you'll have Mia's mother and grandmother keeping an eye on you."

"What are you going to do? James, if something happens to you, Serena's…"

"Nothing's going to happen to me," James helped her get the backpack on and then helped get Terran in the carrier. The little boy put up a bit of a fuss, hating how he would be strapped to his aunt but there was no other choice. Pushing him in a stroller would slow Emily down in the forest, and if she carried him in her arms she wouldn't run as fast. Already his weight and the weight of the bag would slow her down. She needed to swing her arms to get all the momentum possible. When the bag was on and the baby was securely strapped in, James gave Emily a little nod, "I'll be right behind you. Don't look back."

"That's what people say when they're lying."

"Do you think I want to fight Dayu alone? Now go. I'll follow, I promise."

"You better," Emily grumbled, "Or as soon as I get Terran to Mia's house, I'll be coming back here for you."

"You won't have to," James promised. He opened the window and helped Emily out. Then he lifted Storm and told her to stay near Emily, though he knew Storm already knew that much.

Emily slipped out of the house and started to run. She still needed to get by the Nighlok, but he was so busy eating symbols he didn't notice her. It seemed he wasn't designed to fight; he was simply designed to eat.

When Emily was in the forest, James bit his lip and turned to the room. He had to let the Samurai know he and Emily were okay, and he had to do it quickly. He could hear Dayu's footsteps approaching the room.

Then he noticed the book on Serena's night table. It was the book she was currently reading. He grabbed it and tore off the cover, knowing she would notice. Then he took a pen from her desk, wrote Dayu's name on the first page, and then tucked the book under her pillow, where Dayu wouldn't see it once she came in. He then dropped the book cover on the floor and crawled out the window. He ran as fast as he could in the direction of Mia's house.


	5. Watanabe One, Two Three?

Emily made it to the Watanabe's doorstep and doubled over as much as she could with Terran strapped to her chest. She was panting heavily, he was crying, and even Storm seemed ready to give up. With Terran's weight, the weight of the bag, and trying to run quickly and discreetly from Dayu, Emily was exhausted. She ran the doorbell, beating into it with her finger in hopes Mia's grandmother would answer faster.

"Emily," she heard from the driveway and turned to see James had caught up to her rather quickly. She didn't know how long he had stayed behind for, but surely it had been longer than that. She looked to him with a little frown.

"How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"I _just_ got here."

"Oh, I know a shortcut."

Emily glared at James, "So why didn't I take it?"

"Because I didn't think that far ahead?" James shrugged just as the door opened and Mia's grandmother stood looking somewhat shocked. She hadn't seen or heard from James in a while, and couldn't imagine why Emily would be visiting.

"Mia…"

"Is fine," James promised, "Mrs. Watanabe, we need to ask you a huge favour."

Mako looked over her shoulder and sighed, "I wish I could help you, but we're dealing with something. It's quite personal."

"Please," Emily begged. James couldn't imagine Mako resisting her puppy eyes with Terran right below her face as well. "Dayu attacked the Shiba House. Terran and James need somewhere safe to hide and I…" she looked down nervously at her feet and then took in a deep breathe, "I'm pregnant."

Mako's eyes widened. She stood frozen from a moment before she pulled Emily into the house and invited James inside as well. Then she took Terran from the carrier, relieving Emily of his weight, and then she took the backpack and shoved it in James' arms, and she gave him Terran.

"You should be carrying this," she told him with a look of disapproval on her face, "Go wait in the kitchen. I'll be there with you three shortly to discuss this."

Mako headed back to the living room. James put the bag over his shoulder and walked with Emily, Storm, and Terran to the kitchen. They had a seat at the table and both breathed out a sigh of relief that they had made it, but Emily still looked worried.

"Mentor and Kate…"

"They would have wanted us to leave," James said, "That's why they covered us. I know it's hard, Em, but you've just got to keep hoping they're okay."

Emily took in another breathe, "Mia's grandmother didn't look too happy when I told her I was pregnant."

"No one's happy to hear an eighteen year old is pregnant," James shook his head, "Never mind an eighteen year old Samurai Ranger."

"I'm in for another lecture, aren't I?"

"I should start popping the popcorn," James chuckled.

-Samurai-

Dayu searched the corners of the house, trying not to leave many traces of her presence, but also searching for the yellow Ranger. Serrator was quite suspicious of the missing white Ranger, as well as the shift in the Ranger teams. It seemed Serena was now the yellow Ranger, which begged the question: what happened. If the Samurai were going to be a Ranger down, Serrator had assumed he would have harmed Serena enough to keep her out of the battles. That wasn't the case.

Nighlok didn't like questions with no answers. Serrator, fearing his presence would only fuel the Ranger's rage once more, decided it was best if he stayed far away for now. He had planned on someone going right into the house, and had therefore created a new Nighlok with Octoroo.

Not trusting the squid, Serrator didn't ask Octoroo to go on his mission.

Serrator feared if he asked Dekker, whom he trusted most of all the untrustworthy Nighlok, the half-human would be distracted. Sending him right into the Shiba home meant sending him right to his son. Instead of coming back with answers, and a possible captive for Serrator, it was more than likely Dekker would return with his son. If that happened, Serrator wouldn't have anything to tempt Dekker with, and there would be no reason for Dekker to follow Serrator's big plan.

So Dayu was his only choice. Serrator gave her his new, symbol eating Nighlok and asked her to check up on things with the Samurai. Dayu was more than happy to cause some trouble, and faithfully followed Serrator's orders.

However, it seemed the yellow Ranger had gotten away. When Dayu was sure the house was empty, save for the mentor and the woman Dayu had never met, she walked out to the yard and saw the Nighlok was still eating away at the symbols, weakening the shield that was supposed to keep her out. With a cry of frustration she slashed him with her sword. Having been created for the sole purpose of eating symbols, the Nighlok was weak and defenseless. One swipe of her sword finished him off.

Dayu couldn't return to Serrator empty handed, and so had to leave to come up with another way of getting him his answers.

-Samurai-

"You'd think, after everything Serrator's put us through, he would send something a little bigger," Mike commented as he and the Rangers walked back to the Shiba House, having successfully defeated the Moogers at the Harbour. Mike, especially, was excited, claiming being a Ranger and a father to be was twice as thrilling as simply being a Ranger, "I don't know about you guys, but I was ready to kick some ass."

"Serrator will be back," Jayden promised the green Ranger with a little smile, "and I'm sure he'll give you the challenge you're looking for."

"Awesome!" Mike grinned. He walked through the gate and up to the house. There was a little skip in his step. Before he opened the door he turned around and looked at the others, "It'll mean a lot to Emily when she sees we're okay. Don't make it seem like we're better without her, because we're not, but make it sound like we'll be able to manage."

"We know how to handle Emily," Antonio chuckled. He walked past Mike and pushed the door open. As soon as he stepped into the house he knew there was something wrong. Slumped against the wall, with a trail of blood staining the paint and dripping from her head was an unconscious Kate, and a little ways away from her, in a pool of his own blood, was Ji. Jayden and Serena instantly pushed their way through the Samurai and ran to their respective family members.

"Ji?" Jayden carefully turned Ji over on his back and saw the gashes in his chest. He looked down at them, and reached for them with very shaky hands. Normally when someone was hurt, he would call for Ji, and trusted Ji would care for them. Who would he call for when it was Ji who was badly hurt.

"He's still got a pulse," Kevin knelt next to Jayden and Ji, deciding it was up to him to take over. So many years training to swim meant he had learned quite a bit of first aid. His father knew accidents always happened near pools, and as a Samurai it was Kevin's duty to be prepared to help anyone. It also wasn't a bad idea knowing first aid. "I can do what I can, but call the doctors from that special hospital. Ask one of them to come here. Ji's going to need a lot of help."

"So will Kate," Mia announced, very reluctant to even touch the older woman. It was very obvious she had hurt her head, but there was no telling how far down her neck and back her injuries went. The hole in the wall above her told Mia a bit of what had happened, but uncertainty and holes in the story were a bitch.

Jayden fumbled with his Samuraizer, and his shaky hands made it impossible for him to press the right buttons to call the hospital. Seeing his boyfriend was upset, Antonio took over. He wrapped one arm around Jayden and took his Samuraizer in his other hand.

"Everything will be okay," he promised the red Ranger. Jayden was trembling, scared like never before. He hadn't even been this scared the day his father went off to fight Xandred.

Mia wrapped her arms around Serena to comfort her. Serena just sat and stared at her aunt. She looked like she had spaced out completely, but there were millions of thoughts racing through her mind and none of them were good.

-Samurai-

Almost an hour after inviting her guests into her home, Mako joined them in the kitchen. She looked very stressed, and when her eyes fell on Emily, she looked even more stressed. Emily gulped and stood up.

"I can explain…"

"When I was a Samurai, this never would have happened," Mako crossed her arms over her chest. "We had rules, we stuck to them. Tell me, young lady, how on earth you wound up pregnant in the middle of a war?"

"I'm stupid, I know," Emily put her hand on her stomach, "but that's not why we're here."

"I know damn well why you're here," Mako said. "You mentioned it earlier. Dayu turned up and you got scared and ran away. Rightfully so. With a baby inside of you, there's no more room for you on the team."

"Serena's taken her place," James said, "Emily's still helping out from…"

"Did I ask you to help her?" Mako glared harshly. James knew to shut up and shrank into his head. Emily shifted from side to side nervously.

"Mrs. Watanabe, I…"

"I don't want to hear it. This behaviour is shameful, am I understood?"

"Yes," Emily nodded.

"At least tell me the father is your fiancé."

"Husband," Emily smiled a little. Mako seemed to smile a little as well.

"Well, that doesn't make things any better, but slightly less shameful. At least you're not alone, like your sister."

James sat up, "Serena's not alone. Terran's my son too."

"You haven't been keeping up with your training," Mako glared at him, "Terran should take a page from his aunt's book if the Nighlok threaten him. Instead of counting on you, he should run."

Emily giggled slightly and stuck her tongue out at James. The only thing better than teasing him, was listening to someone else tease him.

"I've been a little busy," James pouted.

Mako looked to Emily, "Too busy to protect his own son from harm? I hope your husband knows better. It's only a matter of time before you blow up like a balloon."

"Mike knows better," Emily grinned. James stuck his tongue out.

"You're still pregnant."

Mako took a seat at the table and invited Emily to do the same. She wasn't happy one of the Samurai was pregnant, but there was nothing she could do about it now. She thought it best to focus on the problem at hand, "So, Dayu?"

"The Nighlok have noticed there's no more white Ranger and yellow Ranger's a different person," James said. "Dayu said she was coming to check up on Emily. We all know what that means."

Mako nodded her head, but Emily still decided to clarify, "A little while ago, Serrator kidnapped Serena. He hurt her pretty bad and asked her to split a mountain in half. Serena's still scared of him. She's still scared he can control her."

"Why is she scared of that?" Mako asked, "Serena's a stubborn woman, just like her mother, and her grandmother. No one can control her."

Emily looked to James and then lowered her shirt, exposing her shoulder, "Serena and Kate, my aunt, did this."

"She…"

"Serrator made them do it. They had no choice," Emily said. "We saved them but Serrator tried to make a deal with us. We could take Serena home, if I stayed with him and finished Serena's work. We both got away, thanks to James, but we're all still worried he's after us. He's getting really strong."

"Now Dayu turns up on our door step asking to check up on Emily for Serrator? I don't remember the last time a Nighlok was friendly," James said. He looked to Mako, "It's a lot to ask, but this is the safest place I could think of. You're one of the toughest women I know, and if Noa's around, that'll be two more Samurai on our side."

"Of course we will help," Mako nodded her head. "Noa's here, and she'll be here for a few days, so the first guest room is taken. Emily, you can take Mia's old bedroom. We'll set up a spot for Terran in there with you. James, the couch will do nicely."

"Couch?" James asked and tried not to sound rude. Mako was doing him a huge favour, "I… I thought you had two spare bedrooms."

"They are both taken."

"By who?" James asked.

Just then a man walked into the kitchen. James had no idea who he was, but Emily gave him a strange look. She had never met him before, but there was something about him that was familiar. Her eyes were suddenly as wide as saucers.

"You're Mia's dad! You're supposed to be on the other side of the world!"

"Country," Mia's father responded, "and if you know Mia, you must be one of the Samurai. I'm Simon. Simon Watanabe."


	6. Do Not Open Pandora's Box

Mia walked back into the common room after searching the house and found everyone on their stools waiting for her. The doctor and a few nurses had arrived for Ji and Kate and were tending to them while the Rangers tried to figure out what had happened. Jayden was visibly upset, and Mia wasn't sure what was going on in his head. She knew he loved his father figure very much, but he had never before had to worry about Ji getting hurt. He spent most of his time at the Shiba House, where he was safe from attacks from the Nighlok, and so far away from the city that regular citizens didn't even know this house existed. Even so, if they did know, and if they did break in, Ji would be more than capable of sending them out with bruises on their ass and a fear of old men in kimonos. This was all new to Jayden.

Antonio was doing his best to console Jayden, assuring him that Ji was a fighter on the outside and on the inside, and that if anyone could pull through it would be him. He had lost a lot of blood, but he was still alive and still had a chance. The doctor was going to make sure he held that chance for a long time.

Serena was also upset, and Kevin was consoling her. Seeing Kate in danger was also new for her. She had just discovered that her mother's best friend, her aunt, had actually been put in charge of protecting her her whole life. She knew this was Kate's duty, but seeing her hurt was still a very hard pill to swallow. The doctor wasn't exactly sure what would happen with her if she did wake up. Head injuries were always extremely tricky.

Mia sat down beside Mike, who was worried for Kate and for Ji, but mostly for Emily. He hadn't seen her since he had gotten home. She took his hand in hers and sighed as she delivered the news, "I couldn't find James, Emily, or even Storm anywhere."

"Terran?" Serena looked up. Mia shrugged her shoulders.

"He's probably with them," she put it as delicately as possible; not wanting to insinuate to the worried mother that it was possible her son was hurt. If he was with James and Emily, it was much less likely anything bad would happen to him.

"The Moogers were a distraction," Kevin sighed and hugged Serena a little closer, feeling she was getting worried. "They drew us away while something came here."

"The fight happened in the house, though," Mia pointed out, and she gestured to the wall. On the other side of it was a hole about the size of Kate's head. "No one would be stupid enough to leave the house if there was a Nighlok nearby. The only explanation we have is that the Nighlok came in here."

"How?" Antonio asked. "We have the shields. Nighlok can't…"

"Something got in," Mia said, "We don't know what."

Serena gulped and pulled herself out of Kevin's arms, "Call me if something happens with Ji or Kate. I want to be alone."

"Are you sure?" Kevin asked her, "Serena, we're all worried."

"I want to be alone," Serena repeated and started off to her room. Mike started to move away from me. Tears coated his eyes and flooded down his cheeks. He was scared for Ji, he was scared for Kate, but he couldn't stop thinking about Emily and his baby.

"If you need anything…" Mia told him. Mike nodded his head and thanked her, but she couldn't give him what he wanted.

Down the hallway, Serena opened the door to her room and stepped in. She locked the door behind her. She didn't want to be disturbed. Looking around, she saw there was a bit of a mess in her room. Though an assumed break-in had happened, aside from a mess in the hallway, the house was just as the Samurai had left it. Whoever, whatever had come in knew what to go for.

She walked to the crib and looked down, somewhat hoping Terran was inside, sleeping through this whole mess. He wasn't. The crib was empty. Serena sighed. She turned to her bed, and in the corner of her eye she saw the closet had been opened. She never left the closet open. James never left the closet open. No one left the closet open because Terran would hide in closets and scare everybody.

When she had a look in the closet she saw it was messy as well. Whatever happened, it had come into her room. She started to sort through it, putting things back where they belonged, when she noticed something missing. Terran's emergency bag was gone. Serena had packed it long ago, just in case something were to happen and Terran needed to leave quickly. It was a bag that was filled with everything he needed and it was kept stashed away in the closet. It was hidden out of the way, but also easily accessible. Now, it was gone. Serena turned back to the crib. She hadn't noticed it before, but Terran's favourite blanket was also gone. He couldn't sleep without it. Then she noticed his toys, which were usually kept on the floor for easy access for Terran, and for midnight foot pain traps at night, were also gone. Only family knew of the emergency bag. It wasn't a parental requirement – nowhere in the baby books was it suggested and emergency run away from home bag was needed for the proper development of baby. That could only mean someone had taken it. James or Emily had taken it, had taken Terran, and had hopefully gotten away.

Just as she was about to leave to tell the others, her toes kicked something out of her path. She looked down and saw it was a book cover. She picked it up, looked at the title and knew it was the book she had been reading. The cover had been torn off.

That was odd. She turned around and looked at her night table. The book was gone. She walked over to her night stand, just to be sure she hadn't put it in the drawer. When she saw it was, in fact, gone, she grabbed her pillow and launched it against the wall in frustration. It was a meaningless book, but now her fiancé was gone, her sister was gone, her son was gone, her aunt was badly hurt, and the book she was reading and very interested in was gone as well.

No it wasn't. Throwing the pillow against the wall revealed the second part of the book. It had been placed under her pillow. She grabbed it and instantly saw the message left on the first page: Dayu. Her heart sunk.

"No. No, no, no, no, no," keeping the book in hand, she raced to the common room. Before anyone could ask she showed them the message.

-Samurai-

"Whoa!"

"I know," James had a look around Mia's room, a little surprised by all the pink. It wasn't quite a pink paradise, but the duvet was pink, the chair for her desk was pink, the TV was pink, and she even had a Cinderella Barbie doll with a pink dress. It looked nothing like her room at the Shiba House.

"Turtle!" Emily put Terran in James' arms and rushed over to the aquarium in the room, home to what was apparently Mia's pet turtle.

"Of course, Auntie Emy only notices the turtle," James looked to Terran and sighed.

Storm started barking when she noticed the turtle and her eyes grew wide, ready for the hunt. Emily shook her head and looked down at her dog, "No, Storm. We don't hunt Turtle Mia."

"Turtle Mia?"

Emily nodded her head, "Yep. Mia's turtle is Turtle Mia."

"The Turtle's name is Snappers," Mia's father announced as he stood in the doorway, carrying what looked to be an old playpen, "Noa and I bought that for her when she was just a little girl."

He stepped into the room and got the playpen set up. Terran would be using it as a crib while he stayed with the Watanabes, "I got this from the attic," Simon told Emily and James, "Still works like it did for Mia."

"It's ancient," Emily looked down at the playpen that had collected a layer of dust. James sighed and looked to her.

"It was Mia's. It's not _that _old."

"It's old enough," Emily giggled.

Simon tried to brush the dust off with his hand, "I'll get something to dust it off. We wouldn't want to get dust in Terran's lungs or anything."

"Don't worry about that," Emily said and pulled out Serena's Samuraizer. She traced a symbol and the dust lifted off the playpen and collected over the garbage pail. Emily dropped in and smiled, "All clean."

"I forgot about that," Simon said, "I guess that makes you yellow."

"White, now," Emily looked down at the Samuraizer. She accepted her new place on the team, but she still longed for the yellow spandex. "But yeah, I'm earth."

Simon shifted uncomfortably. Since the moment he had introduced himself to Emily and James, he had felt very awkward, "So, um… how is Mia doing? Is she… she's fine, right? There's been nothing…"

"Mia's good," James answered. "You should be really proud of her."

"How's Terry?" Emily asked. The tension in the room suddenly grew very thick. Simon seemed even more uncomfortable now. He knew about Terry's adventure to the Shiba House, and what that would mean for his relationship with Mia. He had never told his daughter of his son because he hadn't wanted to distract her. Though he would never regret leaving with Noa during her time as pink Ranger, he did regret getting so involved. Hearing about the stories was one thing. Witnessing them, and the pain and stress she had endured while fighting Nighloks was another. It was bad enough watching his then-wife suffer through it. He couldn't imagine his baby girl suffering as well. When he heard from one of his girlfriends she was expecting his child, he knew it would shake Mia up at a time where things were already quite rocky for her and the family. Terry's conception had happened at a time where he and Noa had been divorced in all ways but legally, and poor young Mia was already struggling with her new family life and Samurai training. Unfortunately, the longer he waited to tell her, the harder it got.

Of course, hiding one child from another took a lot of work. Simon made sure he was always around for Mia, and as a result, sometimes had to forget about Terry. He didn't want to leave his son with no reason. Of course he loved Terry just as much as he did Mia, and he didn't want to strain his relationship with Terry, so he told him about Mia. It was a mistake he didn't quite regret because while it led to Terry understanding when his father had to cancel a baseball game to take care of Mia at the last minute, it also made Terry curious about the other half of his family. As a result, Terry ventured across the country just to meet his half-sister. With no other choice, Simon had to quickly send Mia a letter, in hopes it would get to her before it got to Terry, and in hopes it would explain everything. He knew it wasn't the best he could do, but juggling two lives had caught up to him. He just hoped his kids would understand.

"Terry's doing well," Simon answered Emily. "He says hi."

Emily bit her lip and looked to James, begging for permission, but also for approval. This was Mia's family, and it was Mia's fight. The pink Ranger could do what she wanted with her father, but Emily knew how much her father's last letter had hurt her. She had been there when Mia first received it, and had been the one to comfort Mia. Though Mia had stated she wasn't angry with her father, she had, on several occasions, admitted to not being very happy with him. From what Emily had seen, Mia's relationship with her father had gone from sweet to sour during her time as a Ranger. What had once been a happy broken family had turned into a mess.

A mess Mia didn't deserve. Her mother had left her to be the pink Ranger, like all the Samurai's parents had done, but her father had gone as well, leaving a scared Mia behind. It was no wonder she preferred her grandmother over both her parents. Her grandmother had been the parent who never left her.

"Leave it alone, Emily," James told her and she sighed. Simon flicked his thumb over his shoulder.

"I'll be in bed. Mako and Noa are still downstairs. If you need anything, just ask them."

"Thank you," James nodded and closed the door behind Simon when he left. Then he turned to Emily, "This is Mia's fight. Let her handle it."

"Why is he here now?" Emily asked. "He doesn't show up once just to check in with her, he tells her through letters about his engagement and about Terry, and doesn't even tag along with Terry when he comes across the country. He's had plenty of chances to see her in person before to clear everything up. Why now?"

"Being a parent is hard," James told her. "You do all you can, and sometimes it never feels like enough. Or you do what you think is right, and later find out it was very, very wrong. He asked about her now. He looked like he was worried for her. He looked like he still cares for her."

"Obviously not enough."

"Emily, you only know a part of the story."

"My mom abandoned me," Emily said. "My mom abandoned me and came back and made things right again. She found that courage before he could find enough of his to tell Mia about a wedding? About her brother?"

James put his hands on Emily's shoulders and looked her in the eye, "The most confusing thing you're ever going to do is raise a child. You can hate him all you want, but no matter what, he's Mia's father. Let her handle this. Let her family handle this."

He gave Emily a kiss on the forehead, "Besides, the last thing you want to do is get involved in another family's business. You know what happened last time I went poking around some other family?"

"What?"

"They turned out to be Samurai Rangers," James smirked. "Trust me; you do not want to open up this Pandora's Box."

James started for the door. He could see the tired look in Emily's eyes and knew it was time for bed. He set a very sleepy Terran in the playpen, covered him with his blanket, and then wished both him and Emily a good night.

Emily sat down on Mia's bed and sighed. She wanted to help her pink sister, but James did have a point. She didn't have to like Simon, but he wasn't her father, he was Mia's. She looked over at Storm and Mia's turtle. Storm was still eyeing the little reptile, desperate for a chase.

"It would be the least exciting chase of your life," Emily told the dog and then pat the bed, inviting her up. It wasn't often she slept with Storm, but she was going to need a warm body beside her tonight. "Turtles are super slow on land. Like, super, super slow."

Storm nestled into the bed, choosing her spot before Emily could lie down. Emily was forced to make do with the room Storm had left her with and rested her head down on what was left of the pillow. She pulled the blankets up, let out a restful sigh and then sat up. She had a look around and then looked down at Storm.

"This room is too pink."


	7. Update For The Shiba House

The Samurai Rangers were in for a long night. After seeing the message left for them by James or Emily, they needed to figure out what it meant. All the book said was Dayu's name, and so there were still a million questions that needed answering.

"You don't think they're with Dayu, do you?" Mike asked, feeling a knot in his stomach. Dayu meant Dekker, and Dekker meant Serrator. The three of them, though there was hate that existed between them, had formed an alliance. Just the thought of a pregnant Emily anywhere near any of the three made Mike sick. If she was with all of them, Mike would lose his mind.

"One thing we know for sure," Antonio said as he lifted the book and had a look, "She was here."

He turned to Jayden, hoping the red Ranger would take up his role as leader once again. He understood Jayden was worried, but the more help they had, the faster they could figure this out. He took Jayden's hand and gave him a little smile, "Whatever happened, Jay, you know Ji would want us to figure it out. We're doing all we can for him, but what he went through would be in vain if we don't find James and Emily."

Jayden gave a little nod but wasn't ready to be the fearless red Ranger yet. Antonio picked up on that and decided it was best if Jayden took a backseat. He looked to Kevin, signalling it was the blue Ranger's turn to take command. Kevin picked up on the hint immediately.

"Serena, you said Terran's emergency bag is gone?" he asked. Serena nodded.

"The bag, his blanket, his toys; why would Dayu take all that? How would she know to take that?"

"She wouldn't," Mia said, "I think, either James or Emily packed up what they needed and either left with Dayu or got away from her."

"That gives us pretty good odds that one of them, at least, is okay," Kevin gave Serena and Mike a little comforting smile. Serena could take it. Mike was worried. One of them was okay, but if that one wasn't Emily, he didn't care. It wasn't that he wanted James to be hurt, but with Emily pregnant, it was the better deal in his mind.

"But are they together?" Antonio asked. "If one of them is okay, is the other not? Did one of them leave with Dayu because they couldn't leave the other alone with her? Did one sacrifice himself or herself so the other could get away? Ji and Kate obviously felt they needed to put up a fight. I don't think Dayu was looking for a peaceful kidnapping."

"I think the bigger question is how did she get into the house?" Mia said. "I mean, she can knock on the gate all she wants, the shields won't let her in."

"They would have never lowered the shields, either," Kevin pointed out. "I mean, Ji and Emily aren't exactly on speaking terms, but he would never, ever sink this low, I doubt Kate even knows how to lower the shields, or even can. James wouldn't let a Nighlok in the house when Terran's around, and Emily knows better."

"Maybe Storm messed with a few buttons on the Samuraizer," Serena sighed. "Emily's not being as careful with her Samuraizer now that it's not… her Samuraizer," she looked down at the yellow Samuraizer in her hand and sighed. It was for the best that she take over for her sister, but Serena did still feel badly.

"Hopefully Ji or Kate wake up soon," Mia said and then regretted her words when Jayden and Serena gave her an upset look. Neither Ji nor Kate looked ready to wake up anytime soon, and if they did, there was no telling what state of mind they would be in, or even if they knew what had happened.

Just then, the phone rang. At first no one knew what to do. Very rarely did the landline at the Shiba House ever ring, and given everything that was going on with Ji and Kate, Dayu, and James, Emily, Terran, and Storm, no one expected a phone call on the house phone.

Mia got up from her seat to answer it. If it was a telemarketer, they would be in for her fury.

"Hello?"

"Mia? Is that you?"

"J-James?" Mia's eyes widened and she turned back to the faces in the common room. Serena's eyes lit up in relief and worry and Mia could tell she wanted the phone desperately. She tossed it over, letting Serena take the call.

"James?"

"Serena? Who am I talking to?"

"Serena. It's Serena. James, where are you?"

"Mia's house. We're at Mia's house."

"You're at Mia's house?"

"Is there an echo?"

"They're at my house?" Mia asked, finding that to be a little strange and troublesome. She had no idea if he was at her grandmother's house to get away from Dayu, or if Dayu had taken him there. The Samurai had once, accidentally, let Dayu and Dekker right into Mia's grandmother's house, and it was very likely Dayu remembered where it was.

"James, what the hell is going on?" Serena asked him over the phone. "We came home and Ji was bleeding to death and Kate's out of it, and you and Emily are gone! Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

"What happened to Ji and Kate?" James' voice was laced with panic. He hadn't gotten a chance to check up on them before leaving. He had been forced to abandon them and left to hope they would be okay.

"Screw Ji and Kate! Where are you? Where's Terran?"

"We're fine," James assured her in a calming voice. "Terran and Emily are upstairs, tucked away safely in bed with Storm keeping her eyes on them, and I'm okay. We got out before Dayu could get us. Mia's grandmother is letting us stay, so we're going to be fine as long as we hide out here."

Serena breathed a sigh of relief. She no longer needed to worry about that part of her family. Of course, there were still many questions she needed answered.

"What the hell happened?"

"Dayu got in," James explained and Serena put him on speaker so everyone could hear. They were all very curious. "Dayu knocked on the door and before we could stop her, she walked right into the house."

"How did she get in?" Kevin asked.

"She had a Nighlok with her; he seemed to be eating the symbols around the house. She figured it all out. I had no choice but to leave."

"You did the right thing," Antonio said with a nod of his head as he looked around at the other Samurai, seeing they were all in agreement with him.

"Ji and Kate. Serena, you said they were…"

"Ji's hurt pretty bad," Serena answered. "He was bleeding pretty badly when we got to him, but the doctor's here now. He'll… do his best."

"And Kate."

"I don't know. She's alive. She hit her head."

"She's alive?"

"Barely."

There was a sigh on James' end, followed by a brief silence as he tried to think of what to say or do next.

"We'll come home tomorrow morning."

"No," Serena shook her head, "We'll come get you. There's no way I'm letting you and Emily travel alone. We're a bigger group, we'll come get you."

"Serena…"

"Serena's right," Kevin said when it sounded like James wanted to argue, "You and Emily are vulnerable. If you come back here, by yourselves, you'll be sitting ducks. We'll pick you up."

"Alright," James sighed loudly, "I guess it's safety first. Goodnight, guys. Get some sleep."

"Goodnight," the team replied and hung up the phone. Serena, now feeling very relieved, let out a yawn. She was ready for bed. The faster tomorrow came, the faster she could have her family back under one roof where she could keep an eye on them. Mike was also feeling better, knowing Emily was okay and he had nothing to worry about. Mia's grandmother was even more fiercely protective than Mia.

The phone call hadn't done much to lift Jayden's spirits. Of course, he was happy James and Emily were okay, but Ji was still fighting for his life. Antonio managed to convince Jayden that the doctor was working hard and he needed to get some rest.

Everyone left for their rooms except for Mia and Kevin. Mia was relieved James and Emily were okay, but James' tone concerned her. It almost sounded like he didn't want the team to pick them up, like he wanted them to stay away from the house.

"Your grandmother will be fine," Kevin assured her. "She's the… toughest woman I know."

"She can take care of them," Mia nodded, "I'm not worry about that. I've just got this feeling…"

"What could possibly go wrong now?" Kevin asked. He wrapped his arms around her, "The bad luck's got to end at some point, and we've had a lot of it lately. Besides, you should be excited. You'll be seeing your grandmother tomorrow. You must miss her."

"I just can't shake this feeling," Mia said. She got up and took Kevin's hand, "I guess I'll just have to wait for tomorrow. You heard James, we need to get some sleep."


	8. Rough Early Morning Hours

James had no idea his morning would be so rough. Mako had gotten him off the couch before the sun was up, fed him what she called cereal, and then kicked him out to the backyard to train him. James was doing push ups by the time Noa and Simon were up and Emily, Terran, and Storm were all still sleeping soundly, tucked in their beds.

"Mother," Noa chuckled, seeing her mother had put James to work already, "Aren't you ever going to give him a break?"

"Not when he's got a son and the Samurai have a new baby on the way," Mako shook her head and shouted for James to run laps around the yard. "The kids will need all the extra hands they can get."

"Wait, new baby?" Noa frowned. Mako sighed.

"Two Samurai have gotten a little carried away," she said. "I've talked with Emily and…"

"Emily's pregnant?"

"Isn't that… forbidden?" Simon asked. He knew the rules of the Samurai. He knew they had boundaries they had to respect. Not keeping in contact with their friends and family was one of the key ones, but the Samurai were also asked to be chaste. Of course, building friendships was helpful and encouraged, but anything more tended to lead to distractions. So far, the current Samurai made romantic relationships work. Simon had no idea of this. In fact, he had no idea of anything going on with his daughter or the Samurai. She had sent him one quick letter a while back, but only to politely tell him not to send her non-emergency messages. When Terry had returned from his visit of the Shiba House and touring with his band, he had mentioned a few details, but mainly stuck to the basics: Mia's fine, she's doing well, she likes her team.

"The team dynamic is a little different this time around," Noa told him. She turned to her mother, "Emily's pregnant? Mother…"

"These things happen," Mako said, "I trust Ji has handled it, and I trust Emily and Mike know what they are facing. For now, we need to worry about the problem at hand."

"And you think training James will help that?" Noa asked. Simon still couldn't get past the news of the baby.

"Okay, what exactly is going on in this house? The Rangers are getting knocked up? How is this happening?"

"Simon, please," Noa touched his arm, "Everything's fine. The Samurai are all very responsible. This is just a setback…"

"Just a setback?" Simon screamed, "Noa, this pregnancy is taking one Ranger off the table for sure! That's one less person for Mia to count on!"

"Where are you going?" Mako asked when he turned around and walked inside the house. She and Noa followed, and James slowed down his run around the yard to focus on what was going on.

"To talk some sense into that girl," Simon replied. Noa started to sprint after him, catching arm just as he started to climb the stairs to the second level.

"Talk some sense into her? Simon, she's already pregnant. There's nothing we can do about that!"

"We'll see," Simon pulled away from his ex-wife and marched up the stairs. Noa and Mako followed him, hoping he wouldn't do anything too stupid. They could understand his frustration and his anger. They weren't happy either, but this wasn't their business.

Simon stormed into Mia's room, where Emily had slept that night. Ignoring the fact that everyone in the bedroom was still sleeping, he ripped the blankets off the bed. Storm immediately woke up barking, which woke Emily up.

"This is why I don't let you sleep with me," Emily rubbed her tired eyes and grabbed her dog's snout to shut her up. That's when she saw she wasn't alone in the room. A very angry Simon was glaring down at her.

"You're pregnant?"

Emily placed her hand on her stomach and nodded her head. There was no sense in hiding it anymore. Everyone who she cared whether they knew or not were already aware. Simon was just one more person she didn't know, and quite frankly, she didn't care for him.

"I'm pregnant. I know it's stupid and irresponsible but we…"

"There are no buts!" Simon cried. "How does your team feel about this?"

"They weren't very happy but…"

"Do you have any idea how disappointed in you they must be?"

"Simon," Noa called his name in hopes it would calm him down, but Simon had tuned her out. He couldn't even hear Terran, who was crying in protest of the rude wake up call.

"You're putting your whole team in danger!" Simon shouted. Emily rolled her eyes and tried not to pay too much attention to his words. She had heard them before from the mouths of her teammates, and they had also been her own concerns when she had first seen the positive results on the test. Then he said something that really hit her hard, "You disgust me!"

A big part of Emily wanted to just cave in because everything he had told her was right. She had disappointed the team, she had put them in danger, she had been irresponsible, and stupid, and she was starting off motherhood on a terrible leg, but no one had ever said she had disgusted them. But she couldn't cry anymore. The pregnancy had made her sad enough and had hurt the team enough. She was trying her best to fix things as much as she could and make up for her stupidity and for disappointing the team by contributing in another way. Simon's three words ignored her efforts completely, and to make matters worse, he had no idea who she was.

"I disgust you?" she jumped out of bed and glared up at him. She was shorter than him, but Simon, and even Noa and Mako could have sworn her anger gave her a couple extra inches in height. "I'm not the one who left my daughter when her mother was going off to war."

"Emily," James had made it upstairs and decided to check up on things for himself when Mako hadn't come back for him right away. Seeing Emily's anger building up, he knew what she was going to say and had already warned her to butting out of Mia's family.

"Shut up!" Emily snapped at James and then glared at Simon, "You disgust me."

"Noa and I made a decision together," Simon told her. "As parents, we agreed it was best…"

"You abandoned your daughter!"

"Noa and I…"

"Noa had a job to do! Mia knows why she left. What possible reason do you have for abandoning your six-year-old daughter?"

"I have plenty of reasons, Emily. Reasons a child like you cannot understand."

Emily's face turned red, "Fine, you have plenty of reasons. Does Mia know what they are? Does she understand them?"

"That was years ago. And it's none of your business."

"It's my business when you do it again and again!" Emily cried and stomped her feet, "She's a Samurai now, and where are you? Oh, that's right, you're with your new girlfriend on the other side of the planet!"

"Country!"

"Does it make a difference? You're not here! If something were to happen to Mia and she needed you, you would have to catch a plane! She could be dead before you landed!"

"Emily, let's go," James walked to her side and grabbed her arm. As he started to pull her away he looked to Mako, "I'm really sorry. I'm sure you understand the hormones…"

"These aren't hormones!" Emily shouted. James got her out of the room and then walked her down the stairs, putting as much space between her and Simon as he could, without leaving the safety of the Watanabe house. When they were in the living room, he grabbed her arms tightly.

"Emily, stop this."

"He has the nerve to call me disgusting! I'm trying, James! I'm trying everything! He has no idea!"

"And you have no idea either," James lowered his voice and pulled her into his arms, "We'll calm down, and then you can go upstairs to apologize."

"But…"

"You're going to have to get used to doing things you don't like, Em," James gently rubbed her back to calm her down, "This is Mia's family, not yours. He doesn't know you; you don't know him, okay?"

He could feel Emily's head nodding against his chest and he smiled. He gently pushed her away and looked her in the eyes, "I told you, it's going to be hard, but we'll get through this. I just need you to keep your head. Can you do that?"

Emily took her head in her hands and nodded, "It's on tight, I promise."

"Good," James gestured upstairs, "Mr. Watanabe probably won't want to hear it, but you have an apology to make."

"Now?"

"Now."

Emily sighed and started for the stairs, "Stupid baby. Stupid mood swings. Stupid pink room…"

-Samurai-

Jayden had gotten up early to spend some time with Ji. He held his father figure's hand and sat beside his bed, hoping he would wake up soon. The gashes on his chest had been stitched up, and if Ji was alive long enough they would heal nicely. They would leave a scar, the doctor promised, but he also promised the scars would make him look tough. Jayden didn't think Ji needed any help looking tough, but appreciated the doctor's attempt at trying to lighten the mood.

He had been alone with Ji for almost an hour when the door opened up. It was still too early for the others to be up, so Jayden hoped it was the doctor coming to do his job. Instead, he saw Serena walk into the room and she went to sit beside the bed that had been set up for Kate on the other side of the room. Jayden looked over at Serena and sighed.

"Nothing's changed overnight for her."

"How's Ji?" Serena asked.

Jayden turned back to Ji and shook his head, "He's no different."

"No worse, then. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Yeah, same," Jayden nodded, "Uh, about Kate, I mean. I'm not sure about Ji."

"Jay, the man's survived one war against Xandred already. A few cuts can only slow him down."

"I hope you're right."

The two sat in silence, comforting their respective family members until, all of a sudden, Serena started to chuckle. Jayden looked to her, a little offended she would be laughing.

"What?"

"I just thought, if Ji and Kate decided to get married, we'd be family."

"Yeah, it's occurred to me too," Jayden said. "A bit of a scary thought."

"Scary?"

"You would be my cousin."

"I'd be a damn good cousin," Serena crossed her arms over her chest. "You'd be lucky to have me as a cousin."

Jayden smiled. There was another silence. This one was a little more comfortable. Jayden broke it this time, "So… what exactly is a cousin."

"You don't know?"

"No, I know… I just, I don't have any and… I mean, what do we do."

"Jay, relax, it would just be a title," Serena smirked, "and that's only if Ji and Kate do decide to go that far. You know, they only just started dating. I don't even think they've said I love you yet."

"Why would they?"

"Because they obviously do."

"Then why haven't they said it?"

"It's three big words, Jay. You don't just blurt it out. You need the right time. You need to know it's real."

"I know that," Jayden rolled his eyes, "I am in love."

"Well, it's different for old people," Serena shrugged her shoulders, "You know how people start to slow down with age," Serena gave a little laugh and squeezed Kate's hand. She knew if her aunt were awake, she wouldn't be happy Serena was calling her old. Neither would Ji.

Suddenly, there was a loud scream from one of the other bedrooms, and it sounded like it belonged to Kevin. Jayden and Serena exchanged looks of worry and jumped from their seats to see what had happened.

"Hide me!" Mike shouted just as they walked into the common room and he ran right into them. Before they could even stumble, he had grabbed them both by the arm and ducked behind them. A very angry Kevin then stormed into the room.

"Michael, if you do that one more time…"

"What did he do?" Serena asked.

Kevin stuck his finger in his ear and muttered to himself as he walked off. Mia came in from behind him, laughing to herself. She saw Mike hiding behind Jayden and Serena and told him it was safe to come out.

"You know Kevin's going to be washing his ear out for hours, now, right?"

"He wouldn't wake up. We need to go," Mike said. "The faster we get up and get out, the sooner we can get Emily home safe and sound. You know she's pregnant, right? And she's out in the world by herself. And…"

"And she's more than capable of taking care of herself for an extra ten minutes," Mia laughed.

"So we're leaving in ten minutes?"

"That's not what I…"

"That's what I heard too," Serena nodded her head and grinned along with Mike. Mia sighed and left to get ready, knowing she was in a losing battle.


	9. The Pink Ranger

Emily offered Simon the most sincere apology she could muster up. She didn't exactly regret what she had said and so couldn't apologize for that, but she did regret how she had said it, and the fact that it had been brought up. She quoted James when she told Simon that what happened between him and Mia was none of her business and she had no right to comment on it.

Simon muttered an acceptance to her apology, but brushed her off after that and went to the kitchen to get started on breakfast. Emily rolled her eyes. She had, once again, done all she could. Like Ji, Simon didn't seem to think it was enough.

She looked down at her stomach, "For all this, you better come out a girl. And a cute one, too. Like, really, really cute. And you better slip right out."

She started for the stairs, feeling somewhat hungry for breakfast but it wasn't motivation enough to come face to face with Simon yet. Just as she decided to head to the living room to watch TV and wait for the kitchen to be empty, the doorbell rang. Seconds after, it started to open. Someone was letting themselves in. With Mako, Noa, James, Simon and herself all in the house, Emily had no idea who to expect. James hadn't gotten the chance to tell her the Rangers were coming that morning. Fearing Dayu had found her, she turned and raced back up the stairs. She ducked behind the railing looking over the front hallway. She wanted to run away, but she wanted to know what she was running from. It was possible Dayu had come with back up.

But when the door opened all the way, Mia was the first face Emily saw, and she was followed by the other Samurai.

"You found us!" Emily cried and raced down the stairs, stumbling on the last few steps but Mike caught her before she could hurt herself.

"Are you okay? Dayu didn't hurt you, did she?" Mike hugged Emily, then pushed her away to have a look at her, and then hugged her again, "How's the baby? Nothing happened, right? Everything's okay?"

"I…can't…"

"Oxygen deprivation looks good on you, Em," Kevin chuckled. Mike realized what was being said and let go of Emily. He looked to her meekly.

"Sorry…"

Emily smiled and threw her arms around Mike, this time in a proper hug, "Everything's fine."

James heard the doorbell and stepped out of the living room. Serena saw him and instantly jumped into his arms. Relief washed over her when she saw he was okay. She had heard it over the phone the night before, but now she was certain he wasn't lying to keep her calm. He really was okay.

"Terran's upstairs too," James told her, "We're letting him sleep in after the rude awakening."

"Rude awakening?" Mia asked. She couldn't imagine her mother or grandmother doing anything to wake a baby up, at least, nothing that wasn't gentle. For years, when it was time for Mia to wake up for school or training, her grandmother would softly wake her with a calming voice.

At that moment, a man stepped out of the hallway. The Samurai were a little curious as to what he was doing at Mia's grandmother's house, and even Mia didn't recognize him right away. She stared at him blankly, wondering if her mother had recently found a new boyfriend until it hit her.

"Dad?"

"Dad?" the others, save for Emily and James, all cried out in surprise. As far as they knew, Mia's father had moved across the country and as long as Mia was a Samurai, he had no reason to come back. She wouldn't let him visit, and though he was friendly with his ex-wife and ex-mother in-law, he couldn't imagine leaving his son and fiancée to fly across the country just for a chat.

Mia walked over to her father and pulled him in for a quick, slightly awkward hug, and then looked up at him curiously, "Why are you… What are you…?"

"Mia, we need to talk about something."

"Simon!" from the top of the stairs, Noa called her ex-husband's name and gave him a look that, to this day, frightened him, "may we have a word, please."

"Noa, I want to do this."

"Now!" Noa barked and gestured for him to meet with her in her mother's bedroom. Simon groaned, gave Mia a kiss on the cheek and hurried upstairs. Mia understandably, looked somewhat stunned. She had no idea what was going on.

"Don't look at me," Emily shrugged her shoulders, "Your dad and I aren't really on speaking terms."

"I thought you apologized to him," James frowned.

Emily groaned, "I did! I must not be apologizing right. No one accepts them anymore."

"Less than a day and you've already driven someone insane," Antonio chuckled. He wrapped his arm around Emily, "Boy, those mood swings are really getting you, huh?"

"It wasn't a mood swing," Emily muttered. She genuinely hated Mia's father. Antonio gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze as the Samurai headed into the living room. James and Emily didn't have much information to share, having avoided Dayu as much as possible, but the Samurai didn't know that, and wanted to see if they could fill any of the gaps.

The talk between Mia's parents must have been a quick one. Before everyone could be seated on the couch, Simon came down the stairs, his feet pounding into each step. Noa was right behind him, with a very worried look on her face. Simon, on the other hand, seemed proud.

"You're probably wondering why I'm here," Simon grinned.

"Don't do this," Noa grabbed his arm and tried to pull him away, "Simon, this is stupid!"

"I watched you study for years! I've even trained with the best of the best. I can do this."

"Simon…"

"Dad, what's going on?" Mia asked him. "Why did you come all this way…"

"I want to be a Power Ranger."

Emily laughed. James smacked her arm and warned her to stay quiet. Mia's jaw dropped.

"A Power Ranger?"

"The pink Ranger," Simon nodded. He walked over to Mia and took her hands in his, "I've let this go on for far too long. First your mother, now you…"

"Simon, you're an idiot," Noa rolled her eyes.

"I've trained with the best martial artists Pennsylvania has to offer. I can wield a sword like it's nobody's business, and Japanese was my first language, so Kanji shouldn't be a problem for me."

"Dad, you're not a Samurai," Mia looked downright stunned at her father's statement. It was like everything he had ever been told about the Samurai life had gone in one ear and out the other. It was like dealing with Antonio all over again, but this time, Simon hadn't come prepared with his own morpher and his own way to make Kanji. He was assuming he could simply take Mia's place. "You're not born into the Samurai…"

"Long, long ago, our ancestors were Samurai…"

"Yeah, but not Samurai Rangers!" Mia cried out, "Dad, you don't know the first thing about Symbol Power!"

"You trace a kanji in the air…"

"You're insane!"

"See, Simon, even your daughter thinks this is a stupid idea."

"What's stupid was letting our daughter fight a war!" Simon spun around and glared at Noa, "Every day I have to wonder if I even still have a daughter! I'm sick and tired of it!"

"She can do it, Simon, and she has a team to back her up. These Samurai are the best we've seen in generations! If anyone stands a chance…"

"That's what Ji said about you and your team!" Simon cried, "Do you not remember what happened to you? Xandred turned up and you almost died! Your whole team almost died! Your red Ranger did die! I'm not letting that happen to Mia."

"Shoot me," Mia muttered and held her head in her hands, "Shoot me now, someone, please."

"She will be fine. They will all be fine," Noa assured him. "These Samurai…"

"Are a bunch of kids! Kids with kids!" Simon turned to the team, "I mean no offence, I'm sure most of you are doing all you can, but I feel like it's not enough."

"Notice how he said most of you," Emily leaned over and whispered to James, "I told you I apologized. He's just being stubborn."

"He does strike me as a very stubborn man," James sighed, "But I see where he's coming from."

Mako walked into the room. She could hear the arguments from upstairs, where she had been tending to Terran. All the screaming had woken him up. She brought him downstairs and listened to the back and forth between her family. Finally, she decided to put her foot down.

"Let him go with you."

"Sobo?" Mia looked to her grandmother in shock. She couldn't believe she was taking her father's side, "You know dad can't…"

"I know what your father can and can't do," Mako nodded her head, "it seems he does not. If he thinks he's got what it takes to be the pink Samurai, let him try. He can do no worse than James, after all."

"Seriously?" James grumbled. "I worked my ass off this morning."

"Thank you," Simon smiled at his ex-mother in-law. He turned back to Mia and looked to her softly, "Please, sweetheart, this is something I want to do. I can't put you in harm's way any longer."

Mia couldn't argue with her grandmother, and her father didn't seem ready to give up on this endeavour. Very reluctantly, she nodded her head.

"Fine," Simon was about to say something, but Mia cut him off, "but, before you take over for me, you'll need to train with the team. We'll need to know where you're at before we throw you to the wolves."

There was no way she was going to make this easy for him. If he thought his sensei at home was tough, he would crumble once Mia started training him. The only way she would let him near a battlefield was if he could prove he was actually better than her not just with a sword, but with Symbol Power as well.

Something that was impossible.

"Let's go home, then," Simon put his arm around Mia's shoulders as he walked her to the door. The other Samurai got up to follow. Serena took Terran from Mako's arms.

"I can't thank you enough."

"Taking Simon off my hands and out of my house is thanks enough," Mako put her hand on her shoulder, "Good luck with him. And watch out for that fiancé of yours. Don't tell him I said this, but he'll soon be better than I was back in my prime."

"I'll keep it under wraps," Serena smiled and then followed her friends.


	10. Dayu's Deal

Dayu grinned as she watched the Samurai cross the street. Finally, they were back together, and they had the yellow Ranger with them. Holding her Shamisen tight in her hand, Dayu couldn't wait to get Serrator's answers, and couldn't wait to draw more blood from the pesky Samurai. They had been a pain in her side for far too long.

Keeping to the alleys, so as not to cause panic, Dayu followed them through the city until they started to get to the edges. This part of the city was much less populated, and as they got closer to the forest, they were more and more alone. Eventually, it was just the Samurai. Dayu counted heads. They were all there, plus three and a dog. Dayu knew to be careful. Animals could sense Nighlok a lot better than humans could, and many, when threatened, could actually put up a fight.

Two of the extra heads Dayu had already considered. They were Serena's fiancé and her son. Dayu knew she could take care of them easily, and if she was lucky, she could even bring Dekker home a little surprise. Serrator had promised Dekker would get his son, but Dayu wanted to deliver on that promise. She didn't trust Serrator meant everything he said.

One of the extra heads Dayu didn't know, but assumed, because his arm was around the pink Ranger, he was friends with her. But Dayu didn't recognize him, and so she could assume he wasn't a Samurai. She had fought many generations, most of which were long gone by now, and she remembered their faces. Each and every one of them.

Silently, and from downwind so the dog couldn't catch her scent, Dayu approached the Rangers. She was so silent, she managed to walk up right behind them. She could take any of them and be gone within seconds, but she wouldn't get her answers that way. Instead, she just grabbed one: the new one.

Mia felt her father pull away from her suddenly and turned around to see what was holding him up. To her surprise, she found herself face to face with Dayu, who was holding her father against her body, with one arm wrapped tightly around his neck so he couldn't breathe, and the other held her sword across his chest. Simon tried to get away, but Dayu was stronger and heavier than an average human.

Dayu dragged him away, wanting to put some space between herself and the Rangers so they could talk peacefully.

"I'll let him go on one condition," Dayu said. Mia could see they were already running out of time. Her father's lips were turning blue.

Mike pulled Emily behind him and growled, "No conditions, Dayu. Let him go, he's useless to you."

"Then I have no reason to keep him alive," Dayu poked her sword into Simon's side. She didn't want to break the skin just yet, but she wanted him to feel the tip of the blade press against his skin, and she wanted the Rangers to know she would kill him without a second thought.

Serrator wasn't the only Nighlok who loved deals.

"I have questions that need answering, and Serrator needs an earth Samurai. As it turns out, you're not using one, so it would only be fair to…"

"You're not hurting anyone," Serena said.

"I don't want to hurt anyone. As I said, I have questions. No one needs to get hurt. And Serrator, well, you know damn well what he'll do if you choose to go to him."

"Ask your questions, Dayu," Mia was growing impatient. Her father was about ready to pass out. Barely an hour into his term as a Samurai and he was already close to death. This was not going well. Mia didn't want to give Dayu any information, but more than that, she didn't want to lose her father.

"We've noticed a change in the Samurai line up," Dayu removed her sword from against Simon's side, knowing he was now too weak to try anything, and she pointed to Serena, "It seems you've received a promotion. Finally get more gold stars than your sister?"

"I've taken back my place as yellow Ranger," Serena shrugged. "I'm first-born. It's only fair."

Dayu didn't seem willing to bite. If Serena had wanted to take her rightful place, she would have done so a long time ago. So Dayu turned her attention to Emily, "When we met, you wasted no time running away. And today, you cower behind your team."

Simon fell limp, supported only by Dayu's arm around his neck. In a moment of panic for her father's life, Mia called for him, "Dad!"

"Dad?" Dayu looked at the man in her arms and then to the pink Ranger. Mia's eyes were horror stricken as she realized her mistake. Now, Dayu had every excuse to kill him, and from the look on her face, it seemed she wanted to take that opportunity. Mia knew she had to think quickly to save her father's life.

"I'll tell you everything," she said as Dayu brought the sword to her father's stomach, ready to slice him open so he could bleed to death. Dayu paused and looked to Mia.

"How can I trust you?" she asked.

With a shaky hand, Mia reached into her pocket and pulled out her Samuraizer, "Emily can't fight, she hurt her shoulder."

"My…" Emily touched her shoulder with the scar. It was better now, and she could fight if she wanted to. It wasn't her shoulder holding her back. Fortunately, Mia was smart enough to make Dayu believe that.

Mia continued to talk with Dayu, despite the team's glares that begged she stop, "Emily's done for a while, so Serena's taken her place. We're down one Ranger as is," Mia passed her Samuraizer to Kevin and looked Dayu in the eye, "If I go with you, they'll be down two. Serena's also terrified of Serrator. She can't yet face him without falling to her knees."

"Mia, shut up!" Serena growled. She took Mia's Samuraizer from Kevin and tried to hand it back to the pink Ranger. Mia wouldn't take it back.

"If Serrator shows up, the Samurai will be down three, but only if you take me and let my father go."

"Done," Dayu dropped Simon. When he hit the ground, she pressed her foot into his chest, pinning him there as he woke up and gasped for breath, "Come with me, pink Ranger."

"Mia, don't do this," Kevin grabbed her arm, hoping he could get her to stay. Mia turned around and looked at him.

"Figure something out. Dad can fight. Teach him to fight Nighlok."

"He can't morph," Kevin whispered. "Mia, he'll be worse than useless."

"I'm trusting you," Mia gave Kevin a kiss and then looked to Mike and Emily. "I won't say a word," she whispered.

"Pink Ranger, I'm waiting," Dayu tapped her foot impatiently and looked down at Simon. She could feel he was struggling under her foot. "Your precious daughter loves to talk, doesn't she?"

"Don't hurt her," Simon growled and struggled even more when he saw Mia approaching Dayu. "Mia, don't do it!"

"You might want to listen to your precious daddy," Dayu said with a grin. When Mia was close enough, she grabbed her by the arm, "I've let him go, you promised me answers. That was the deal."

"It was, I'll honour it, I…"

Dayu pulled Mia away from her father and put herself between the two. She held the pink Ranger with one hand and lifted her sword with the other. In one swift motion, she took Simon's head from his shoulders.

"DAD!" Mia screamed as Dayu pushed her into a Gap and disappeared with her.


	11. Tears I've Cried

Mia threw herself at Dayu, screaming words of hate and threats, but couldn't follow through with anything she said. Dekker had a firm hold of her, and wouldn't let her go. Mia tugged and pulled and wrestled with Dekker while trying to get to the Nighlok who had just murdered her father, but was too uncontrollable for her own good.

"I asked for answers," Serrator and Dayu had met up with Dayu and Mia up in the mountains where Serrator had held Serena. The large gap that split the mountain halfway down was still very much present, showing off all the work Serena had done. Mia didn't care about that, though. She had turned herself over to Dayu to save her father's life, and the Nighlok had double crossed her, murdering her father before her eyes and taking her before anything could be done to save him.

Of course, with his head no longer attached to his body, there was no saving him.

Serrator continued his talk with Dayu, ignoring the pink Ranger's cries. Dekker could keep a hold of her until he was ready to take care of her, "I asked for answers and I asked for earth. You bring me the pink Ranger and murder a civilian?"

"Her father. I killed her father," Dayu stated. "He wasn't just…"

"He was a civilian. This is not what I asked for," Serrator rubbed his head, "Dayu, you had an easy job. Get me the yellow or white Ranger and figure out why the Samurai decided to bench one of them."

"The pink Ranger will provide us with all the answers we need," Dayu gestured to Mia. Serrator didn't seem convinced. Dayu continued, "Break her, just like you've broken Serena."

"Do you think that was easy?" Serrator asked. "Serena had a strong will…"

"Whatever you did, it worked," Dayu said, "The pink Ranger's already told me a secret. Serena's terrified of you."

"As she should be," Serrator nodded, "I am…"

"She would be paralyzed with fear if she saw you," Dayu smirked.

"And you know this to be true, how?"

"The pink Ranger told me this when she thought the truth would spare her father's life. You have but four Samurai standing in your way now. Only four of them will try to come for the pink Ranger. Break her, like you've broken Serena, and, before the Samurai can find us, get all we can out of her."

Serrator stroked his chin. It wasn't his original plan, but Dayu's failures were forcing him to take another course of action.

"You had better be right about this," Serrator said. He turned to Dekker and gestured for him to put Mia in the cage he brought, hoping it would be filled with an earth Samurai. Dekker locked Mia away and Serrator covered her mouth with the same substance he had used with Serena, shutting her up completely. Unable to escape her cage, and unable to scream, Mia was completely helpless. She pulled her knees to her chest and cried to herself.

-Samurai-

Kevin stared at the ball of fabric on the table. Inside was Mia's father's head. On the couch, his body.

Jayden walked in from the kitchen and set a mug of tea down before Kevin, "Someone will come to take it away soon."

"They had a deal."

"Dayu honoured it," Jayden sat down beside Kevin, "She did let him go. He is with us."

"He's dead," Kevin grabbed his mug and held it with both hands. "He's dead and Mia's with them."

"The dojo's all yours if you need it," Jayden put his hand on Kevin's shoulder. He could already feel just how tense the blue Ranger was, and it was understandable. Though Kevin had never gotten the chance to meet Simon before today, the fact that he was Mia's father was still enough to upset him. Jayden couldn't imagine how he would feel is something happened to Mr. Garcia. It would be confusing emotions, but he would feel something.

Kevin squeezed the mud so tightly it shattered in his grip. The tea spilt to the floor and the sharp, broken edges cut his hand. Kevin hissed in pain and tried to hide the blood from Jayden. The red Ranger had already seen it, though.

"Let me…"

"I've got it," Kevin shoved him away and started to clean up the broken pieces, "Just leave me alone."

Jayden nodded and backed away, "Like I said, the dojo's all yours."

Given Kevin the space he needed, Jayden returned to Ji's room, where the others were sitting. Given the way they were looking at Ji and Kate, Jayden assumed they were waiting for them to wake up, like it was guaranteed it would happen now that someone had already died. Jayden wouldn't get his hopes up, though. He couldn't afford to right now. He put his hand on Emily's back when he saw her holding Kate's hand. Just after watching Mia's father die, she had to find out her aunt was seriously hurt. It wasn't fair.

"She's hurt pretty badly. Her body needs the rest."

"Don't tell her that, Jayden," Serena said.

"It's the truth," Jayden looked Serena right in the eyes, "We can hope things will get better, but we can't sit here and wait for it to happen."

"How's Kevin?" Mike asked. He felt terrible for not comforting his best friend at this time, knowing Kevin would be there for him if the roles were switched, but he couldn't bring himself to leave Emily, or to look at the dead body. He had seen gory movies, and had watched a number of people get their arms, legs, heads cut off on screen and had laughed about it. He had never seen it happen to a real person. He had never seen it without the special effects. It was the worst thing he had ever seen, and his stomach turned at the thought of what Simon's body looked like now .

"He's frustrated," Jayden answered. He wasn't saying anything the others didn't already know.

"He doesn't have to be," Emily muttered, "We'll get Mia back."

"Em…"

"We will. You know we will," Emily squeezed Kate's hand for comfort as she looked at her team, "We'll get Mia back, and Dayu will pay for what she did. I know you guys can do it, and James and I will help however we can."

There was a knock on the door before the doctor tending to Ji and Kate walked in, "Someone should keep an eye on the blue Ranger," he said, "He's tearing the dojo apart."

"Thanks," Jayden said and dismissed the doctor so he could return to his lunch break with the nurses. With Ji being the main medic for the Samurai, they had no choice but to ask the doctor and his nurses to live in the Shiba House while Ji and Kate were still injured.

"I can go talk to him," Emily offered. Everyone looked at her like she was crazy. She pointed to her stomach, "It doesn't show yet, but I am pregnant. You can't hit a pregnant woman."

"Kevin will certainly try," Serena muttered.

Antonio got up with Emily, "I'll go with you; just in case you're wrong."

Emily gave him a little smile. Having him tag along would help her. She didn't really want to be the one to try and calm Kevin down, but she couldn't stay with Kate anymore, unsure of what was going on with her. The dojo was the best place for her to be. With Antonio by her side, she stepped into the room and cleared her through. Kevin turned to her for a brief second before continuing his savage beating on the dummy.

"What do you want?"

"Dayu doesn't stand a chance against you, does she?"

"Emily, your point. I don't want to listen to you beat around the bush."

"We'll get Mia back."

"You're damn right we will."

"We'll have a funeral for her father too. Like we did for Scruffy."

"This is nothing like your dumb dog, Emily," Kevin growled. "Mia's father just died."

"Scruffy's not…" Antonio started but Emily held her hand up. She didn't like what Kevin had said, but it wasn't the point.

"What if we focus on getting Mia back, and then we worry about her dad?"

"She's defenceless, Em! We might not get her back."

"Mia can take care of herself. She's one of the best. I know that and you know that. But you're only as good as your team. She needs our help."

"And you think I'm beating up dummies for the hell of it?"

"Yeah," Emily nodded. "You're the best swordsman we have. You can't get any better. You need to work on coming up with a plan."

"You come up with a plan. I'll follow," Kevin knocked the dummy to the ground and moved to the punching bag.

"Dammit, Kevin, stop hiding! Hiding does nothing to help!" Emily put her foot down powerfully, "Go come up with a plan with the others! It's the least you can do for Mia and for her dad! I didn't like him, but at least he tried all he could to keep her safe! That's your job now! Do it!"

Kevin knocked the punching bag off its chain and then sighed, "Fine. But don't you dare yell at me again."

As he stormed off to find the others, Antonio turned to Emily, dragging his jaw along the floor, "Em…?"

"I've cried enough," Emily shrugged, "I know it won't help," she touched her stomach and looked down sadly.


	12. Prince Charming's Breakfast

Gasping loudly, Jayden was pulled from his nightmare and shot straight up. He panted heavily, hoping to catch his breath while Antonio rolled over and flicked on the lamp. Blinded by the light, he squinted as he turned to Jayden.

"Are you okay?"

Jayden nodded his head, "Bad dream. Mia's dad…"

"Not a nightmare," Antonio sighed. He sat up and leaned against the headboard, "It happened."

"I saw it happen again," Jayden said. He turned and looked to Antonio, "I saw it all over again."

Antonio wrapped his arms around Jayden. The red Ranger tried to stay strong and willed himself not to cry. It wasn't his place to cry. That right belonged to Mia, and she was nowhere to be found. The Samurai had tried well into the night to come up with a plan to find her and bring her home, but ultimately had come up with nothing good. They decided to sleep on it, hoping something better would come in the morning.

"It's okay to be upset," Antonio gently stroked Jayden's back as he held him, "That was… tragic."

"I shouldn't have let him come with us."

"Jay, you heard him. This was something he wanted to do. He wanted to take Mia's place."

"He'd still be alive if I had refused to let him come," Jayden shook his head.

"Dayu would have grabbed someone else. Knowing Mia, she still would have made a deal. Dayu still would have betrayed us. In a way, we're lucky we're not dead."

"Lucky," Jayden scoffed, "That's the word I would use right now. Mia's father's dead and she's with the monster who murdered him. She could be dead too! She could have spilled all our secrets and Dayu could have killed her too!"

"Mia's stronger than that. Jayden, you have to trust your team. Mia had a plan, we can be sure of that."

"And her plan involved her father dying?"

"She's not going to say anything. She tried to save his life. Jayden, its okay. Dayu will get what's coming to her. You saw Kevin, he's pissed. She won't know what hit him, once he gets his hands on her."

"Ji's practically on his deathbed, so is Kate. Serena's terrified of Serrator. Emily's pregnant. Mia's gone. Her dad's dead. What kind of team am I leading?"

"I think we're an amazing team," Antonio said. "We're hitting a few speed bumps, but we'll get through them. We always do."

"There's a first time for everything."

"Except giving up. We won't give up," Antonio kissed Jayden's forehead, "Get some sleep, okay? I'll be right here."

Jayden nestled into Antonio's arms, hoping he could keep the nightmares away for the rest of the night. Antonio wanted to sleep as well, but he couldn't close his eyes. He too had had a nightmare reliving Simon's murder. He looked out the window, up at the moon and sighed.

-Samurai-

Something wet licked Kevin's face, pulling him from his sleep. Lifting his hand, he swatted Storm away and sat up, only to find Mike and Emily were both in his room.

"I made you breakfast," Emily held out a tray with a big breakfast for Kevin. Pancakes, fruit salad and a protein shake, everything Kevin loved to eat in the morning. A breakfast he claimed spoiled him. Mike had a different version of a delicious breakfast, which included a lot more maple syrup and protein in the form of greasy bacon, but he knew what made his best friend happy.

Kevin looked at the breakfast as it was placed on his lap, and then looked up at Emily, "Stop smiling. Mia was your best friend."

"Mia is my best friend. She's not dead."

"No, but her father is, and where is she?" Kevin muttered. He leaned back, away from the tray, "I'm not hungry."

"We made this especially for you. We even got up early to do it," Emily said. "I cut up all the fruit myself, and Mike made the pancakes from scratch, and we used your special scale."

"I'm not hungry."

"Doesn't matter, dude. We're going to save Mia today and you need all the energy you can get."

"You're going to be her rock," Emily beamed.

"I shouldn't have let her go," Kevin shook his head.

Mike chuckled, "You didn't. You tried to stop her, remember? Now eat up. I'm sure prince charming or the knights in shining armour or whoever saves the princess eats a gourmet breakfast before slaying the dragon."

"Are the fathers dead in fairy tales?"

"Why do you think step-mothers are so evil?" Emily nodded her head. "C'mon, Kevin, don't sulk. Mia wouldn't want you to sulk. Your dad's not dead. She needs you. Get up! Get up! Get up!"

She grabbed his legs and started to shake them, threatening to spill his breakfast. Kevin didn't seem motivated to move at all. Emily crossed her arms over her chest, "Alright, fine then, sour puss, I'll go be prince charming or whatever, and I'll save Mia. I'll bet no one's heard that fairy tale before."

"Dude, she'll do it," Mike looked to Kevin a little worriedly, "Baby and all. It's bad enough Mia's dad's dead, do you want to kill our child too?"

"Hey, I said I was going to rescue Mia," Emily looked to Mike and pouted, "Why do you always jump to worst case scenario?"

"Because I'm the worried father to be," Mike shrugged his shoulders, "Honestly, Em, if I'm not going to worry, who will?"

"Certainly not Kevin," Emily turned back to the blue Ranger, "C'mon, Kev! Last night you were all fight. Now you're… kind of stinky. You didn't even shower, did you."

"Leave me alone."

"Fine," Emily huffed. She grabbed his bowl of fruit, "You sulk all you want, then. Baby and I will save Mia, we'll get true love's first kiss, and then we'll live happily ever after. C'mon, loyal steed, someone will have to carry us off into the sunset."

Emily walked out of the room, with Storm at her feet, begging for Kevin's fruit. If he wasn't going to eat them, she would.

Mike looked to Kevin, shaking his head sadly in disappointment, "Dude, I know this is rough, but you can't…"

"We couldn't come up with a single good idea last night, Mike. She's screwed!"

"Because you're giving up! We rescued Serena; we'll get Mia back too. We'll get her back faster, I promise. But you're going to have to get out of bed. So c'mon, get up! Get up before Emily takes this fairy tale thing seriously and we both lose our girlfriends. You know she'll do it."

Kevin lazily rolled out of bed. Mike gave him a look.

"Dude, you're making me look like the disciplined one."

-Samurai-

Serrator dropped a bowl before Mia, just outside her cage, and reached in to remove the gag from her mouth. Mia looked down at the bowl and then up at Serrator.

"What is that?"

"You eat it," Serrator answered her. "You'll eat, and you'll enjoy it, because it's the only meal you're getting today."

"This is what you did to Serena, isn't it?" Mia asked. She pushed the bowl away. "I won't eat it. I won't let you break me, and I sure as hell won't give answers to the monsters who murdered my father! I'm not letting you control me. I make my own decisions."

"Decision made, then," Serrator picked up the bowl, "You will not eat. Daddy must be proud."

"They're coming," Mia grabbed the bars of her cage and glared intensely at Serrator as he walked away, "You're not getting away with this. Dayu's not getting away with this. We don't take betrayal kindly. For your sake, I hope you're ready."

"It will be a blood bath," Serrator nodded, "I'm sure."


	13. Facing Serrator

Serrator, Dayu, and Dekker were outside the cave, discussing their plans away from Mia so she couldn't hear them. In a way, this gave Mia hope. If they didn't want her to know what they were saying, it was because they didn't want the Rangers to eventually find out. The only way that would happen was if Mia went back to them.

Hugging her knees to her chest, Mia thought about home, and wondered if she wanted to go back. Of course, she preferred it to this hell hole, but going back meant cleaning up after her father. She wasn't sure her mother or grandmother knew yet. It was likely the Samurai were too busy trying to find her to inform them. She also thought of her father's family back on the east coast and wondered if they knew why he wanted to cross the country, of if they were in for the biggest surprise of their lives. Mia thought about her brother Terry. He didn't deserve this. She hadn't been happy with him when she first found out she had a brother, but she had grown to love him in a short time. She wanted what was best for him. Surely, being fatherless wasn't in his best interest. She would have to do something to make it up to him.

Serrator broke away from Dekker and Dayu and approached Mia slowly. She could see he was playing with his hand, getting ready to gag her once more. She knew what he was trying to do, and she knew how it had worked on Serena. In one week he managed to control everything she did, to the point where Serena felt she had to scar Emily just to eat a meal. Mia wouldn't let that happen again. She wouldn't let herself be turned into Serrator's toy.

He put the gag on her mouth before unlocking the cage. Mia was good with her words, so the gag did take something away from her, but really, Mia had nothing to lose. Still very hurt over the murder of her father, Mia would fight with everything she had. Unlike Serena, she didn't want to survive. If she did, great, if not, it was no loss. As soon as Serrator opened the cage she rushed out and set her eyes on Dayu. If she had the chance to kill anyone, she wanted it to be her. The space Mia had to run to reach Dayu was enough for the Nighlok to ready herself. She held up her sword, but it seemed she had orders not to kill Mia. She struck the pink Ranger in the arm, barely cutting the skin. It was enough to protect Dayu while Dekker grabbed Mia from behind and held her back.

"You'll get plenty of time to hit her in a minute," Serrator assured Mia and gestured for Dayu to put her sword away. "For now, I want to run over the rules of training."

Mia tried to say something, but the gag prevented her from doing so. Her eyes said it all, however. She wouldn't follow Serrator's rules. He chuckled.

"You still think you're making the decisions?"

Mia tried to pull away from Dekker, but he was stronger than she remembered. He had been training, which didn't bode well for Jayden. She knew her red Ranger had been training as well, but with so many things to focus on all at once, his increase in strength meant a lot less than Dekker's.

Serrator approached Mia and stood face to face with her. He glared intensely at her while Dekker held her still. Mia tried to lunge for Serrator to show him she had no intention of letting him walk all over her, but Dekker was doing a good job. Serrator smirked, "You're stubborn. I will give you two options, you will chose one of those. Nothing else, am I understood?"

Mia wanted to spit in his face.

Serrator gestured to Dayu, "Either you train with us, pink Ranger, or we spare you and you tell us all we want to know about your team. Strengths, weaknesses, the true story behind the yellow Ranger…"

Mia shook her head. There was no decision to be made. She had made a deal with Dayu to talk, but had never intended on following through once her father was safe. She would never give them the true information they needed and would fill their heads with lies – lies they believed. Now, she wouldn't even give them the satisfaction of thinking they had the advantage. She wanted to see bloodshed. She wanted Dayu's bloodshed.

"Let her go, then," Serrator ordered Dekker. He did as he was told and released Mia. As Serrator expected, the pink Ranger ran straight for Dayu.

He couldn't control her, but he could predict what she would do. It was close enough.

-Samurai-

While most of the Samurai were in the common room trying to come up with a way to get Mia home, Serena was in the dojo, staring at a dummy with Serrator's face. It was just a mask – she knew it was just a mask – but it did still terrify her. She held her sword in her hands but was terrified of what would happen if she struck it. Serrator's punishments had always been terrible.

"Serena?"

She turned her head and looked to the door, seeing Emily. She dropped her sword and shook her head.

"Mia's right. I'm useless. If we find Mia and Serrator's there… I'll let them down."

"Been there," Emily nodded and touched her stomach.

"Now Dayu knows that. Serrator knows it too," Serena took a seat on the bench, "What the hell was Mia thinking?"

"You know it too," Emily sat down beside her. "You can work on it now. I know you can do it."

"Can I see it? The scar, I want to see it."

Emily touched her shoulder and shook her head, "Serena, you have to stop. I don't blame you. It's Serrator's name, it's Serrator's fault."

"It was my hands."

"Kate's hands. She did this. You were just…"

"I kidnapped you, Em! You trusted me and I did this to you!" she threw her arms around her sister, holding her tight in a hug, "Now I'm useless."

Emily returned the gesture but rolled her eyes, "You're not useless."

"Mia's in my position. I should be able to help. I should want Serrator dead. I do want him dead but…"

"You can't do it?"

Serena shook her head, "I'm sorry, Emily," she pulled her Samuraizer out of her pocket and looked at it. She almost wanted to hand it back to Emily. The younger Samurai wouldn't allow it. She had a new place on the team and it was up to Serena to be the yellow Ranger.

"It's you or me, Serena," she looked her sister in the eyes, "You've never tried to put me in harm's way before, no matter what it meant for you. I know you're scared, but I need your help."

"Emily…"

"I'd get Mia back myself, you know I would, but I can't. You have to do it for me, please."

"Emily, I'm weak."

"No, you're not," Emily shook her head, "You're one of the strongest people I know. You're the reason I woke up every morning when my life was hell. You knew you were dying, you had no reason to wake up, but you still did, remember?"

"Of course, Emily, I…"

"You woke up, and you held on to whatever life you had left, no matter how hard it was, because of me. No matter how weak you got, you knew you were always my rock. Serrator's nowhere near as tough as you. When things don't go his way, when it looks like he's about to lose, he runs! He runs away! You can't be afraid of someone who runs away!"

Emily took Serena's hands and looked to her with tears, "Serrator killed Scruffy, remember? He took my dog, he taken you, and he has Mia. You're not going to let him hurt me anymore, are you? What about the baby? What if Serrator does break Mia like he broke you, and she has no choice but to tell him? I'll be hunted down, you know I will be. I'll be hunted down, baby will be killed, and I might be killed too. And then what? Serrator wins? Dekker wins? He'll take Terran. If you're not strong enough to stand up to Serrator, he can just walk right in here and take Terran from your hands. I'll be dead, Terran will be gone, all you'll have left is James, and that's only if he doesn't try to protect Terran. Odds are that if Terran's gone, James will be dead."

"Emily…"

"Please, Serena," Emily pulled her sister back in for another hug, "This is what we do. We fight so the other doesn't have to. I'd take your place. I'd go rescue Mia so you don't have to come face to face with Serrator. You can't let me do that."

Serena gulped and nodded her head, "I'll bring her back."

"And I want you back too," Emily said. "Serrator still has you. Get both my sisters back."

"I will," Serena kissed Emily's cheek and stood up. She picked up her sword and stood face to mask with dummy Serrator. Her hands shook. She still couldn't do it.

Suddenly, another sword knocked the dummy over and the head rolled on the ground. Serena looked horrified and then turned to the person who had decapitated Serrator.

"I'll fight him if you need me too," Mike promised with a grin, "It's called teamwork."

"Maybe don't decapitate him, though," Antonio muttered as he and the rest of the house stood in the doorway, "I mean, kill him, by all means… but don't decapitate him."

"We've come up with a plan," Jayden looked to Serena and Emily, "All we're waiting for is…"

The doorbell sounded. The Samurai all looked somewhat startled, then the boys smirked.

"Grandmothers really don't mess around," Jayden said.

**Author's Note: Just wishing my fellow Canadians a happy Thanksgiving! Mine was awesome (and busy) and I hope yours was/will be as well.**


	14. Hurricane's Fury

"Are you sure she's here?" Antonio looked to Mako, who was their temporary pink Ranger. With morale so low, the Samurai needed all the help they could get. They were down two Rangers, and it had become clear Serena would struggle if she found herself with Serrator. The Nighlok knew that, and though the Rangers didn't want to believe Mia would betray them, they weren't sure what else the Nighlok knew, so it was best to come in with a surprise of their own. They were still missing a white Ranger, but they were a team of six.

A strong team of six. Mia may have been the momma bear for the team, but the cubs could be protective too if their mother was in danger. Kevin was also quite angry and ready to do anything to see Mia home safe and sound.

And Mako… Jayden said it best: Sobo didn't mess around.

"She's using a lot of symbol power," Mako nodded her head. The Samurai all looked to her quizzically, though she couldn't see it behind their helmets. "When you get to be my age, and have trained with Symbol Power all your life, you pick up on a few things. Especially when your grandbaby's in trouble.

"Watch your step," Kevin grabbed Mako's arm as she scaled the side of the mountain, reaching the ledge up above. When she was safely up she looked to Kevin and shook her head.

"I've been climbing mountains before your father was born. I know what I'm doing."

"Isn't climbing mountains my family's thing?" Serena asked, looking to Mike. He shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. But I do know who's highest on the badass scale. Grandma's got guts."

Jayden looked up to the top of the mountain, "We must be on the right path. This is where Serrator kept Serena. We should keep quiet now. We're getting close."

-Samurai-

High up in the mountain, hanging for her life in the pit Serena had created was Mia. Her fight with Dayu wasn't going as well as she had planned it, and her last attempt at revenge had knocked her into the pit. Desperately she grabbed onto a protruding rock and caught herself before falling to her death, but she had no way of getting up. Every muscle in her body hurt. Every inch of her skin was covered in some kind of injury: be it scrapes, cuts, bruises, or even burns. Dayu wasn't holding back, and Dekker and Serrator didn't hesitate to get their shots in as well.

Serrator stood over the side and looked down at Mia. She was sure he wanted to see her fall. He looked into the pit and chuckled, "It's a long way down, pink Ranger."

He knelt and reached to her face, ripping the gag from her mouth. Mia let out a cry of pain as it was pulled from her skin, but otherwise said nothing. Serrator looked her in the eyes, "I want to hear you beg."

Seeing her opportunity, Mia spat in his face. It felt good, until he grabbed her arms and dug his claws deep into her skin. He ripped her away from the ledge. The only thing keeping her suspended in the air was his hold of her.

"Beg for your life, pink Ranger, and I will give it to you."

"I'd rather watch my friends kill you than beg to you. Drop me. I dare you."

Serrator threw her back to solid ground. He wouldn't give her what she wanted. If she wanted death, he would keep her alive.

"So you want to follow in daddy's footsteps?" he chuckled as he walked over to her and kicked her in the stomach. When she was on the ground, on her back, he dug his heel into her abdomen. Mia couldn't breathe and, even if she wanted to, she cwuldn't beg for her life. Genuinely, she hoped this was it. She hoped these were her last moments.

Suddenly, and seemingly from out of nowhere, the clouds turned black. At first, Mia assumed it was just spots in her eyes from the lack of oxygen to her brain, but when the wind picked up and was strong enough to lift rocks and throw them from the mountain, Mia knew this was very real. Serrator looked up just as a tornado touched down. The winds didn't touch Mia at all, but they blew Serrator, Dekker, and Dayu away, into a Gap they created to escape. The winds ceased as the Rangers climbed up to the ledge and saw Mia.

A Gap opened up again, regurgitating the three Nighlok. Serrator, at first, seemed impressed by the Rangers. Then his eyes fell on the one he knew wasn't supposed to be present. He looked from the team of Rangers, down to Mia, and then back to the pink Ranger.

"What? What is this?" he spun around and shouted at Dayu, "Not only is the yellow Ranger here, but they still have a pink Ranger? You insolent, pathetic…"

As he shouted at Dayu, Serena leaned over and whispered to Mike, "I can't do it."

"Can you stay here with Mia, then?" Mike asked her. She nodded her head.

"Just don't let him near us. Dayu, Dekker, fine… Serrator, no way."

Mike gave her a nod, and used the Nighlok's timeout to talk with his own team.

"Kevin, Mrs. Watanabe, I know you both want to take care of Mia, but…"

"I want the bastard's ass," Mako glared, her fists clenched into a ball as she looked over to Mia, sprawled helplessly on the ground.

"Serena will keep Mia covered, then," Mike said, "The rest of us will hold the Nighlok off. Ideally, we kill them all, but if we can't, we do like last time. Mia and Serena will leave, and we'll go once they're safe."

"Take care of her," Kevin looked right at Serena. She nodded her head. It went without saying that she would.

"They're distracted, we should attack them now," Jayden said. The Samurai all nodded their heads and rushed into the fight. Mako and Jayden headed straight for Serrator, Mike and Antonio challenged Dekker, and Kevin took Dayu all to himself.

Serena hurried over to Mia and cradled her in her arms. She pulled off her helmet, remembering she had felt safest when she could see the Samurai's face. The helmet, as it was supposed to be, was very impersonal and cold.

"Mia, are you with me?" Mia's eyes were still somewhat opened, and she seemed to be awake, but barely so. Serena hugged her close, "Kevin and your grandmother are here. They're going to protect you, just hold on, okay?"

Mia closed her eyes. She didn't want to hold on.


	15. Pink's Pain

With everyone but herself and James trying to get Mia home, Emily decided to spend some time with Ji and Kate. The doctor was working hard, and had hope they would eventually wake up, Ji especially, but when was up to them.

Seeing the doctor on his lunch break, as well as the nurses, Emily knew she would have some privacy. She opened the door to Ji's room and walked right in. She looked to her aunt, and then she looked to Ji. His eyes were opened. He was awake.

"Mentor!" Emily cried and rushed to his side. She took his hand and held it gently. She looked him in the eyes, "Mentor, you're awake! You're okay?"

"Not quite okay," Ji gave a little nod, "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Emily smiled. She wrapped her arms around Ji, grateful to see he was awake, "You're the one Dayu sliced open."

Ji slowly lifted his arms and wrapped them weakly around Emily, hugging her in return, "How's the baby?"

Emily pulled away from Ji and looked to him with a mixture of relief and fear. She knew he hated her situation. He had made it very clear how disappointed he was, almost to the point where Emily was convinced he now hated her and hated the baby and wanted nothing to do with either of them. The fact that he cared now proved that wrong, but there was still a hint of doubt.

"Mentor, I'm so sorry. I know I've screwed up. I'll help the team in any other way, I promise. I…"

"Emily, relax," Ji placed his hand on her cheek, "I want to apologize for the way I've acted. It wasn't at all what you needed. Though I do not condone this, it has happened and nothing will change that."

Tears started to run down Emily's cheeks. She couldn't believe she was hearing this. Ji wiped them away with his thumb and gave her a smile, "You have my full support, so long as you act responsibly not just as a mother-to-be, but as a Samurai as well. Baby or not, you do have a duty. I will help you balance both."

"Really?" Emily asked, her eyes lit up just a little bit, and then shone like a Christmas tree when Ji nodded.

"Really. Congratulations, Emily. You will make a wonderful mother. Now," Ji placed his hands on the bed and pushed himself up. With a little help from Emily, he managed to sit. He looked across the room and saw Kate was still sleeping in her bed, "I would like you to fill me in on what's been happening."

Emily looked to Kate, "Well, for starters, she's not dead. And that's it for the good news."

-Samurai-

Mako had never faced Serrator before. She had heard of him once or twice in legends, and had seen his acts recently on the news, but in her time as a Ranger he had never shown his face. It seemed his long absence from the human realm had somehow given him more power, as though his centuries of hiding had provided him with a time not just to train, but to study human behaviours. Mako noticed his most useful weapon wasn't his fists, his claws, or his sword (all of which were still very deadly). The most dangerous weapon he possessed was his knowledge of humans. He could bend them as much as they wanted, and they would only break when he wanted them to break. If there was anyone with all the necessary qualities to rule the world for centuries and centuries, it was Serrator.

But, just as Mako had never met him before, he had never met her, and he had never met her protective side. Naturally, she had a soft spot in her heart for her granddaughter, and since the day Mia was born, a little piece of Mako died slowly. Every day, for twenty-three years, a piece of her heart broke. She knew what she was raising her granddaughter for. She knew the pain that came with the Samurai. Though she was still very powerful, and very strong in her old age, she couldn't fight Nighlok on a day to day basis. She was already tired and had only fought one fight. She couldn't take her granddaughter's place.

But she could protect her. Looking into the eyes of the monster who hurt Mia fueled Mako, and though Serrator did have the advantage, he would never win. He delivered blow after blow, but nothing he did could force Mako to power down. Nothing he did kept her off her feet for long. Jayden, who fought with her, was impressed by her determination. He found himself mostly watching as a spectator, instead of an ally.

Kevin was fueled by the same kind of energy as Mako. Anytime he looked at Dayu, all he saw was Simon's lifeless and headless body. Though Kevin knew very little of his future father in-law, he knew for a fact that Mia loved him. No matter what he had put her through, no matter the mistakes he had made raising her, Mia did love her father. Kevin saw the look on her face, in her eyes, when she realized her attempts to save her father had been for nothing. He saw the pain, and felt her pain – not even his own – when it struck Mia that her father, her beloved father, was dead. With a savage cry, he aimed his Hydro Bow at Dayu and shot his arrows at a rapid pace, striking her with two, three, ten at a time until she fell to her knees and clutched her chest. His Hydro Bow vanished, replaced by his Spin Sword, and he knew exactly what he wanted to do.

A tornado touching down prevented him from doing so. The winds did very little to him, but were wild enough to throw Dayu over the edge of the mountain. If she knew what was good for her, she wouldn't come back. Wherever she landed, if she could save herself, she would stay there. She would stay away from the Rangers. Kevin put his sword away and powered down. He turned to the rest of his team and saw the tornado had also blown Serrator and Dekker away. Mako was on her knees on the ground, trying to catch her breath. Antonio and Jayden were helping her up to her feet slowly.

Seeing Mia's grandmother would be taken care of, Kevin turned to Mia. Serena was hugging her close to her chest and muttering something as she tried not to cry. Something was very wrong. As soon as he saw this, he was by her side. He took Mia, held her in his arms and begged for her to wake up.

"Mia?" Mako, with Jayden and Antonio's help, walked to Mia's side and looked down at her. Mia seemed to be in a bad way, but right off the bat Mako could tell none of her injuries, even combined, were life-threatening, yet none of Kevin's attempts could wake her up.

"We'll get her home," Mike said, "Let's just… go home."

-Samurai-

The team had called home, announcing they were on their way. James got started with the first aid kit and the snacks and Emily joined him after telling Ji everything she knew of what had happened since Dayu had attacked. While Ji lay comfortably in his room, following Emily's orders to take it easy, James and Emily worked hard to get the house into shape to invite the Rangers home. They had Mia, but given their tone over the phone, it didn't sound like they would be celebrating this victory.

"What do you think happened?" Emily asked James as she looked across the room. James shrugged his shoulders and sighed.

"I'm not sure. We'll find out when they get home."

"Do you think Mia's okay?"

"I think we'll find a way to make it work."

"You've got more sunshine coming out of your butt than I do," Emily rolled her eyes. "Stop promising everything's going to be okay."

As she said that, the doors opened. Emily and James both turned to the doors as the Rangers walked in, looking no worse than any casual battle with a regular Nighlok, which was somewhat odd. A few cuts and scratches, but nothing to worry about. Even Mako, who had been short of breath in the mountains, was now standing up a little straighter.

But there was a cloud of gloom surrounding the Rangers, and when Kevin walked in with what looked to be a lifeless Mia, James and Emily saw why.

"Is she…"

"No," Serena answered her fiancé and nestled into his arms, "She's alive. She'll be fine… she's just…"

"Not waking up," Kevin said. He sat down on the couch, with Mia still in his arms, "C'mon, Mia, everything's okay. Please come back."

"Princess," Mako knelt beside her granddaughter and touched her face softly, "I'm right here. We're all right here. I know what happened to your father and I'm so sorry. I'll make it better. I don't know how, but I promise, I…"

Mia started to stir and moaned as she came to. Kevin hugged her gently as she buried her face in his shoulder. Almost instantly he felt his neck and shirt were wet with tears. Mako sat beside him and leaned gently against Mia, letting her know she was there for her too.

All the Samurai gathered around her in silence, unsure of what to do. The silence was only broken for a moment when Emily leaned in and whispered in Jayden's ear, "Mentor's awake."

"How is he?"

"Okay."

Jayden nodded his head and smiled for a moment. He reached out and touched Mia's leg, stroking it gently.

Kevin rocked Mia gently to soothe her, all while knowing nothing would.


	16. Love And Death

Kevin stayed with Mia through the night and until Mako came to deliver her some breakfast and talk. Kevin wished the grandmother good luck as he left to give them privacy. Though Mia had cried and screamed at him that her father's murder was unfair, she hadn't talked. Kevin knew it would be a while still.

As soon as he stepped out of the room he bumped into someone else.

"How is she?" Emily blurted out. There was an obvious look of worry on her face and Kevin knew why. Mia looked like a wreck and she was a wreck. Kevin had bandaged up her cuts and burns and tended to the scrapes and bruises. Emily had watched as he carried an armful of frozen vegetables and ice packs from the freezer into his room.

But Emily wasn't asking how Mia was doing physically. They knew she would heal. Emily wanted to know how Mia was coping with everything else: her captivity, her father's murder, and his death in general.

Kevin wanted to know where she had come from. He looked up and down the hall, "You weren't there a second ago, were you?"

"I saw Mrs. Watanabe head inside and I want an update."

"She's fine, Emily."

"That's a lie. She's not fine," Emily crossed her arms over her chest. Kevin placed his hand on her back as he walked with her to the common room.

"She's being taken care of, I promise," he assured her. Emily turned to look at him. He sighed, "I'm doing all I can. She doesn't want to talk about it, and I don't think you can cheer her up. Just give her time, okay?"

"Can you tell her I'm here if she needs me? It's my job now, you know? Now that I'm not a Ranger."

"You're always a Ranger, Em, I…" Kevin looked over to the kitchen and gestured for Emily to follow him. She did and watched as he started to make himself oatmeal for breakfast. "We need to talk about something."

"Ugh, more baby talk?" Emily rolled her eyes. She had had enough of it, "I get it, Kevin. Trust me, I do. I've disappointed you, I've let the team down. You're going to support me. You know it's hard, blah, blah, blah. Can't we just live in a house where all this is forgiven?"

She gestured to her stomach. Kevin chuckled and shook his head.

"I was just going to ask if you had been to the doctor's recently. We don't exactly lead very… baby friendly lives."

Emily gave Kevin a little smile, "Mike and I went to confirm. Everything was fine then, and we've got all our other appointments and stuff figured out."

"Good. And what about Mike? Is he…"

"The greatest," Emily beamed, "You don't have to worry about me, Kevin. I mean, really, you don't have to worry about me. Mike's doing enough of that already. This morning, he asked me how many times I've peed. Like that's any of his business."

Kevin chuckled and nodded his head, "You know, Em, at first, this whole baby thing really freaked me out, for all the reasons you mentioned before."

"Disappointment and stuff?"

"Yeah. But you've really pulled it together. We're all proud of you."

"I've had help," Emily blushed, "James was kind of… my rock," she giggled, "That joke doesn't get old."

"Yes it does."

"Not if you're from my family," Emily stuck out her tongue and then she gave Kevin a real smile, "Thanks, though. When I first found out I was pregnant… I was kind of scared of what you would all say. That's… you know."

"What?"

"The reason I freaked out," Emily looked down at her hands, "I felt like I had let you all down and I thought you would hate me and stuff."

"We don't hate you."

"But I did let you down. I'm really sorry."

"Name the kid Kevin, and all's forgiven."

"I can't do that," Emily smirked and shook her head.

"Right, sorry. Kevin Junior."

"I still can't."

"Why not?"

"Kevin isn't a girl's name."

"How far along are you? I didn't think you could know this early on?"

"A mother always knows," Emily smirked and then looked somewhat quizzical, "Well, that's what they say, at least. I didn't know I'd be throwing up every five minutes and my boobs would be _this_ sore. I mean, Serena warned me it would suck but…"

Kevin dumped his oatmeal down the sink and sighed, "Too much information, Emily."

-Samurai-

After Kevin took Mia to their room the night before, Jayden spent the rest of his time with Ji. Emily had told him he had woken up, and Jayden wanted to see for himself that his father figure was okay. When he had walked into the room, Ji had just been about to fall asleep. Though Jayden apologized for waking him, he was happy to catch him. They exchanged a few words (mostly Jayden asking after Ji) and then went to bed, with Jayden sitting in the chair the entire night. In the morning, Jayden got up early to make breakfast for Ji and using flames from his Symbol Power, he kept it warm until Ji woke up.

The older man was thankful for the meal, and for the company. Technically, he was never alone in the room, with Kate in the other bed, but the injury to her head was keeping her unconscious for a long time. Ji had never not been worried about her since he had woken up, but he was really beginning to fret. Jayden caught the look in his eye and gently touched his hand.

"She was chosen for a reason, remember?"

"How did you know?"

Jayden furrowed his brow, "I… what do you mean? We're all chosen for a reason."

"How did you know when you were in love?"

"Uh, well… I…" Jayden looked nervous answering the question until he realized what Ji was trying to say. "You… Serena was right. You love Kate."

"I have never been in love before," Ji said. He gave Jayden a smile, "Not romantically, of course. This feels different. How do I know it's real?"

Jayden rubbed the back of his neck. This was completely backwards for him. Although he had never had much of an interest in romance before Amanda, his first girlfriend, Ji was normally the one to give him the talk and the explanations about love, hoping that one day, after his Samurai duties, Jayden would find someone to settle down with. For Jayden to be the one with the experience, and for Ji to be the student was weird.

But not unwelcomed. Jayden swallowed and then smiled at his father.

"You just know. It's kind of a funny feeling. It makes you sick, but it's a kind of sick you like. You get all nervous but confident at the same time. When they can drive you crazy, but you still can't live without them."

"What has the doctor been saying about Kate?" Ji asked. "Emily wouldn't say much. I understand why, but I need to know."

"She hit her head pretty bad. There's still a pretty hole in the wall from where Dayu smashed her skull. The doctor thinks she'll wake up, but anything could happen still."

"Anything, like…"

"Do you think you could ever learn to live without her?"

Ji shook his head, "No."

"Then you should tell her you love her," Jayden stood up and held out his hand, "I'll walk you over."

"Thank you," Ji whispered. He took Jayden's hand and slowly lifted himself out of bed. His body was still very sore, his chest especially, but the trip was worth the pain. Jayden pulled up a chair beside Kate's bed and lowered Ji into it. He gave the older man a gentle squeeze on the shoulder.

"I'll give you two some privacy."


	17. The Big Decision

Mako gently brushed Mia's hair behind her ears and looked at her granddaughter's sad face. Mia wouldn't talk about anything, which was very dangerous. Growing up, Mako had always made sure Mia knew the best way to feel better was to talk it out, to do something to get it out of her system. Sitting alone in her room to cry about it could only take her so far.

"Mia, talk to me. Tell me what happened."

Mia shook her head and tried to hide beneath the blankets, but her grandmother grabbed her and pulled her into her arms, "This is difficult. I understand. I will help. Your friends tell me it was murder."

Mia nodded her head. Mako kissed her cheek, "Can you tell me what happened? It was Dayu, wasn't it?"

"I don't want to talk, Sobo," Mia said. Mako looked her in the eyes and touched her forehead.

"Because it is all up here, it feels like a lot. I promise you, it is not. Share with me, and share with your friends. We have all experienced this before."

"Most of the Samurai still have both parents," Mia shook her head. "They have no idea…"

"Jayden's father was murdered, much like yours…"

"Jayden was just a kid!" Mia screamed, "He couldn't have done anything! I could have done more! I should have done more… I should have known not to trust Dayu."

"Why did you trust her?" Mako asked. She would ask anything to keep Mia talking. Even if she shouted, Mako wanted Mia to speak – to say what was on her mind. Mia crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back into her pillows.

"I didn't… I just… We made a deal," Mia looked to her grandmother sadly, "She would let dad go if I went with her. I should have specified alive. I should have…"

"A deal? Mia, do you think a Nighlok will honour any deal they make? Least of all a deal they make with a human? I cannot count the number of times a Nighlok has said one thing and done another. You learn…"

"Then I was stupid."

"Mia," Mako pulled her granddaughter into her arms, "Your father was stupid."

"Sobo…"

"Listen to me," Mako shook her head, "I love your father, you know I do. He always put your first. He has made plenty of mistakes, like all parents, but he was a wonderful parent. He was also a great husband. There's a reason I trusted him with your mother, even long after they broke each other's hearts. But for all your father was, Mia, he was stupid. He thought he had it in him to take your place as the pink Ranger, but look where he is now."

Mia buried her face in her grandmother's shoulder, "You're not helping."

"Your father wanted to protect you, and protect you he did."

"How, Sobo? He's dead. He did nothing."

"He is your father. He has done everything to protect you. To this day, I still feel my father protecting me."

"Sobo."

"Yes, Mia."

"It hurts."

Mako sat with Mia on the bed and took her in her arms, "It is going to hurt for a very long time. You will learn to live with the pain. I promise you, it does get easier."

-Samurai-

Ji was up and about, walking around the house, slowly getting use to his limitations while at the same time trying to get back to work. With everything that had happened while he had been unconscious, he knew he needed to take his job back and mentor the team. They had done a good job on their own, but even the world's superheroes needed someone to care for them once in a while.

Ji didn't do anything too complicated, and Jayden never left his side, but he did manage to get dinner for the Rangers, curtsey of the pizza delivery boy. Ji wasn't ready to work on the kitchen to prepare a meal for everyone in the house (doctors and nurses included), so he did what he could to provide for them, without over-exerting himself.

His walking around and getting back to work meant Kate had his bedroom to herself. Though Ji was starting to really bounce back, Kate was still in the same state she had been found; no better and no worse. Knowing her aunt was alone, Emily slipped into her room, carrying a plate with four slices of pizza. She could eat them all by herself if she was forced to, but she had brought pizza in hoping Kate would be awake and hungry for real food and not something from a tube. Emily waved her hand in front of her aunt's face but got no reaction. She sat down and sighed.

"You've got like… five hundred emails on your laptop from my parents and Mike's parents," Emily told her. "Sorry I peeked. They aren't very happy with you or Mentor, you know. They think you're ignoring them. Mom even used some language I've never heard her use, and I've got a lot of things to say to Mike's parents when we meet again."

Remembering the pizza, Emily grabbed a slice and held it under her aunt's nose, "I grabbed a piece with green peppers, because I know you like it. This is the part where you wake up now, and then you're waking up and coming back gives Mia a little bit of… whatever she needs, and we can all go back to being happy."

Emily pulled out her Samuraizer to check the time, and then she looked at the calendar, "We haven't really been happy for weeks. I haven't been happy since… Since Serrator took Serena, and that seems like so long ago now. Time slows down when things aren't going right. Serrator's kidnapped, I find out I'm pregnant, which just leads from one problem to another. Dayu shows up, you're hurt. Dayu shows up again, Mia's dad is killed and Mia's kidnapped. Now's the time were you wake up and things start to get a little better."

There was a silence. Nothing happened on Kate's end. Emily dropped the slice of pizza back on the plate and sighed, "You don't even have to eat it, you know. C'mon, Kate, you know I hate when people lay in bed like this. You know it sucks. You should really know it sucks; you never even visited Serena when she was sick. Don't put her through this. It's not fair."

Still, nothing happened. Emily tried pinching Kate, just to see if she could get a reaction, but there was nothing. She was as lost as she could be. She was sure the doctor would have a different prognosis for her now. Emily couldn't see how it was possible she could wake up anytime soon. Fed up, Emily grabbed her plate and stood up, "Fine, you die too. See if I care. See if anyone cares. It's not like you mean anything to me. After all, you did care _Serrator's_ name into my shoulder. I still get nightmares about that. So, you know what, I hope you die. I hope you die so that way I can move on, I can forget about you, forget about the scar and we can be happy again."

When Emily still got no reaction she tossed the plate and the pizzas across the room. They shattered when they hit the wall. Emily watched the pieces as they fell to the floor and then the weight of her words hit her. She quickly took her aunt's hand and squeezed very gently as she took a seat beside the bed.

"Please don't die. I forgive you. I'm sorry. Please don't die."

-Samurai-

Later in the day, Mia woke up from her nap and found herself alone in her bedroom. It didn't bother her that there was no one around. She really didn't want to talk anymore, feeling she had said enough.

Her nap hadn't been restful one bit. Instead, it had been filled with a nightmare – a flashback. Mia watched, over and over again, as Dayu brought the sword down, and in once clean swipe removed her father's head from his shoulders. One swipe was all it took.

Her relationship with her father had been complicated, and she was sure he had figured that out. Since she had come to the Shiba House, he had really done nothing but deliver bad news via letters – very impersonal letters. She had a lot to say to him, but now she would never get that chance, and though she did hate some of the things he had put her through, she couldn't ever hate him. No matter what he did, he was her father.

If she said it to anyone else, she knew it would sound stupid. She knew it was stupid, but in her head, this was it. Her life was officially fucked up. There was no making it better. There wasn't anything better. She could fake it, but she only had one dad and he was gone. Everything was ruined.

She had always dreamed of her wedding day, and she spoke about weddings so often the Rangers all rolled their eyes and tuned her out. She would always describe the big day in detail, never forgetting where a single flower would be placed because every little detail was important to her. One of the most important details was her father. No matter what her relationship was with him, he was her father, and it was his job to walk her down the aisle. It was his job to give her away to Kevin. Now he couldn't do that. Now, he couldn't even meet Kevin. He had seen him, but he had no idea what Kevin meant to her. He had no idea who his baby girl was going to marry. She didn't even have her father's blessings to get married.

It was just a little detail, really. Someone else could fill in for her father. Ji could do it. Mike could do it. Even her grandmother, who had raised her, would be perfect to do it, but not by Mia's standards. No, it had to be her father.

If it wasn't her father, her wedding was ruined. If her wedding was ruined, her marriage wouldn't stand a chance. If her marriage didn't stand a chance, her perfect family wouldn't stand a chance. A broken home. Mia would have another broken home. She couldn't have another broken home. She couldn't do it again.

She slipped off her engagement ring and put it on the plate, next to the sandwich that had been left for her. If her marriage was already ruined, and if her life was already ruined, there was no point going through with it. What was the point of getting married if it would just end in divorce? What was the point of bringing kids into the world if they would just suffer the same fate she had to suffer? Divorced parents, the weight of the world on their shoulders, death, hate, and evil all around them; it was a miserable life.

She looked down at her naked hand as she walked into the bathroom. Ji kept most of the medicines in his first aid kit, but the Rangers were allowed to keep some with them just for ease of access.

Access was too easy. Mia picked up a bottle and poured the content into her hand.

"BA!"

She jumped, startled by the sound. The pills flew out of her hand and scattered all over the floor. Mia turned around and saw Terran standing in her bathroom, looking up at her with his blanket hugged to his chest. When he saw the pills on the floor, he picked one up.

"Terran, no," Mia ripped the little pill from his hand and lifted him up. She walked him across the threshold, wanting to put him down in her room on the other side of the door so he wouldn't have to see what she was going to do, but when she stepped out of the bathroom, Serena saw her.

Serena lifted her engagement ring, "You wouldn't want to lose this. I found it by the sandwich. Uneaten, by the way. I know you're hurt, but you can't starve yourself."

"I'm not starving myself," Mia shook her head. She looked to Serena, "Why are you here?"

"Terran came here," Serena said. "He just waddled over, and your door was open. I thought maybe you could use a little cheering up, baby style."

Serena took Terran from Mia's arms and had him face his aunt, "You can't be sad around this cute little face."

Terran giggled and smiled at his aunt and reached out, wanting to be in her arms. Mia took his back and sighed again.

"You can say no," Serena said, "If you don't want a little playtime, I'll distract him with something else. Emily seems a little down."

"No," Mia shook her head and looked at Terran. She did still feel miserable, but she had a soft spot for the young boy, "An hour. Sound good?"

"I'll see you in the common room after," Serena nodded. "Your father's ashes came last night and if you're ready…"

"No."

"Dinner, then? You can't hide away in here with the baby all day. We all want to help, Mia."

Mia rolled her eyes, "Fine."

Serena could see there was still something wrong. She touched Mia's arm and gave her a warm smile, "Take it from someone who was dying, your father would want you to be happy. All I wanted, while I was sick, was for my family to be happy."

"It's hard."

"That's why we want to help," Serena said. She gave Terran a kiss on the head, and then gave Mia one on the cheek, "Please meet us for dinner. You don't have to say anything, and we won't ask you to talk if you don't want to. Just be with us."

"Fine."

Serena smiled again and looked to Terran, "Sweetheart, Auntie Mia's very sad right now. You be gentle with her, okay?"

When Serena stepped out of the room, Mia sat down on the bed, with Terran on her lap. Normally she loved to play with the boy, and she did want to do something with him, but no ideas came to mind. Terran seemed to know what he wanted to do and threw his blanket at Mia, covering her face. At almost ten-months-old, Terran knew what to expect next. Auntie Mia would pop out from under the blanket and shout peek-a-boo.

But she didn't. Concealed by the blanket, Mia just sat there. Terran pulled the blanket down himself but Mia still wasn't, technically there. She didn't smile, she didn't laugh. She wasn't playing. Terran started to cry, pulling Mia from her thoughts. She looked at the sobbing boy, held him in her arms and soothed him.

"It's okay. I'm right here, Terran. I'm… I'm not leaving."


	18. Confession

Terran was playing with a ball on the floor, which Mia would roll back and forth for him to catch and throw. She interacted with him as much as she could so he wouldn't think she was ignoring him, but her mind kept wandering off to what had happened with her father.

She had prepared herself for death. It wasn't unheard of for a Samurai team to witness death first hand. Her mother had seen it with Jayden's father. Her grandmother had come close to death several times. Mia knew it was bound to happen. War was a dangerous place, especially when the opposing team were Nighlok who played by their own rules and usually came equipped with special powers.

But she hadn't been ready to lose her father. Not by a long shot. He wasn't even supposed to be in the State, and now he was dead. Murdered. Dayu had killed him. With one swipe, just one swipe, his head and his body separated. It happened so quickly, Mia wasn't sure he got to breathe his last breathe.

Suddenly, Terran threw the ball at her face. It smacked her in the forehead and brought her back into her bedroom. She looked at him. He looked at her. A big part of him wanted to laugh, like all babies did when someone got hurt, but another part of him wanted to wait for her reaction. This wasn't the first time he had hit someone in the face, and he had gotten in trouble for it before. He stood there, staring at her, testing her to see what she would do.

Mia sighed and rolled the ball back to Terran, "Careful," she stated firmly, so Terran wouldn't think he had permission to do it again. As he rolled and bounced the ball, trying to catch it again (he was about as clumsy as a baby could get), Mia watched him play. She heard him giggle. He had no idea.

Or did he? She wondered what he knew exactly. She watched him, and looked at his face. Though he was growing into a handsome young boy, a boy with his own identity and his own physical traits, he would always be the son of Dekker. His eyes especially reminded Mia of Dekker. Though they weren't cold and murderous, instead warm and innocent, they were still Dekker's eyes. James was Terran's father, Mia had no problems with that, but Terran would always be the son of Dekker. One day, he would have to know that.

"You're from a broken family too," Mia muttered. Terran looked her way for a moment until the ball bounced off the wall and hit him in the stomach, reminding him he was playing a game. As he raced after the ball, giggling every time it bounced or hit something, Mia couldn't help but feel a little smile form on her lips. Terran's family, in its own way, was just as screwed up as hers, perhaps even worse, and yet she had no doubt in her mind that he would grow into a happy, healthy little boy, and eventually into a strong and still very happy man. Somehow, at only ten-months-old, he had already done it. He had survived the worst his family had to offer, and made the best of what was left of it. Throwing away an unsuitable father, replacing him with one that was much, much better, and working his way into the hearts of all the Samurai.

Not only that, but despite everything he had already been through, he could still open his heart up to his strange family. When Mia had disappeared under the blanket, in every way but physically, he had cried for her, and was only soothe by her return and her promise she wouldn't leave him. He was young, too young to understand, but he knew.

Mia turned her attention to her bathroom door. On the other side, the pills she had been about to swallow were still scattered on the floor. She thought about what she had been about to do, and what Terran had been about to see had he not made his presence known. Before he babbled at her, she had been seconds away from putting the handful of pills into her mouth. Though it was different, Terran would eventually forget watching his aunt collapse and die (if all had gone as Mia planned), Mia still couldn't imagine setting Terran up for this same pain she was feeling. She had watched her father die. She had watched her father's murder. It hurt her so much, she had been about to take her own life.

She took the little boy into her arms. The smell of a warm dinner was starting to make its way into her bedroom and she knew it was almost time to join the others. She gave Terran a kiss on the head and carried him down to the kitchen.

"I'm making your favourite," Mako said when she saw Mia stepping into the room. "You may not feel up to eating, but…"

"Where's Kevin?"

"Right here," Kevin appeared suddenly behind Mia, causing her to jump, "Sorry. I was just giving your grandmother a hand in the kitchen."

Mia looked to him curiously for a moment before remembering she had learned to cook from her grandmother, and then had to relearn when it turned out none of the women in her family knew how to cook a meal that was really edible. She thanked him silently, and then hugged Terran a little closer.

"I have to tell you both something."

"Anything, Mia," her grandmother gave her a warm smile and Kevin put his hand on the small of her back so she knew he was there if she needed him. She did. "I want to die."

"Mia, I know it hurts, but…"

"I tried to kill myself."

Kevin was a little stunned to hear it. Mako dropped the spoon into the pot she had been stirring and rushed over to her granddaughter. She took her in her arms and then pulled away, unsure of what to do.

"Mia… Why? Why would you think…?"

"What did you do?" Kevin asked.

"Everything feels screwed up now. Dad's dead and…"

"Mia, the last thing he would want is for you to kill yourself," Mako told her, and looked her in the eye as she said this. "You have your whole life ahead of you. Please don't throw it away."

Kevin went to the table and took a seat. He put his head in his hands as he tried to process everything. For now, he let Mako deal with Mia because he couldn't.

Mako took Mia in her arms and hugged her warmly, "Sweetheart, please talk to me."

Mia pulled Terran into her chest, sure he was the only one who really knew how she was feeling. Unfortunately, he was no help. She knew unless she wanted things to get worse, she was going to need to talk to her grandmother and Kevin.

"It's all I see when I close my eyes," Mia whispered. "Dayu killed him. She got her crappily ever after and now she's making sure I do too."

"Dayu is not responsible for the way you live your life," Mako said.

"All I wanted was to be happy. All I want is a normal family. Why isn't that possible?"

"No one has a normal family," Mako looked Mia in the eyes and grabbed her arms tightly, "You certainly didn't grow up with a traditional family, but when you were little, and I looked at you, all I saw was a loved and happy young girl. You had a world full of dreams and fantasies, and you were so full of hope. You, you exactly as you are now, are the future that I fought for way back when it was my turn to fight Master Xandred and his goonies. You are the future I risked my life for, and there's not a day I live where I regret what's happened to me. If you only knew how many times I wanted to give up. Today, you face many challenges I never faced when I was your age, and in your position. But today, you are also free from coming face to face with the problems I tackled because I fought."

"Sobo…"

Mako gently took Mia's face in her hands, "I was rewarded with a beautiful daughter, and a beautiful granddaughter. I will be damned if I let anything happen to either of them. I will be damned if I ever let you or your mother throw away a perfectly good life. The life I gave you. The life I fought long and hard for you to have. You think two years is tough, Mia, try five. Five, and not once would my mother or my grandmother come to visit. Not once did I have anyone but my team to pick me up, to remind me my existence meant more than my own life. I fought for your happiness, and your father died so you could live out your dreams."

"But Sobo, he dead! My wedding…"

"The only thing that will make your wedding perfect is the man you stand next to at the altar," Mako gestured to Kevin, "Your father may not walk you down the aisle, and he may never give you his blessings, but you have found a man he would be proud to call his son. You have found a man who, no matter what happens, will give you the wedding you've always dreamed of, and the life you deserve."

Mako pulled Mia back into her arms, "I loved your grandfather. To this day, I still love him dearly. I still wear my wedding ring. My wedding, though, was far from perfect. My maid of honour, my team's yellow Ranger, threw a bigger fit than I did and walked out."

"She… she did?" Mia looked at her grandmother.

"She apologized for it later, but at the time, I was sure my wedding was ruined. Then, the bouquet I was supposed to carry down the aisle caught fire. My dress tore in the back, and I tripped down the aisle not once, not twice, but three times."

Mia couldn't stop a small laugh from escaping her lips. Mako brushed her hair behind her ear and smiled.

"Two of those times, I landed flat on my face. The second time, we had to pause the wedding while my mother cleaned the blood from my face. The wedding didn't start again until we were sure my nose stopped bleeding. But what made my wedding perfect was the smile on your grandfather's face. Mia, your perfect wedding won't be scored by how many flowers you have, how many guests attend, or even who is in attendance. The look in your man's eyes will be what makes the wedding perfect."

"And dad?"

"He will be there," Sobo promised. "He will not need an invitation. He will not need to R.S.V.P. He will be there, and he will walk down the aisle with you. I promise."

Mia nodded her head, gave her grandmother one more hug and then turned around. Kevin still had his head in his hands. Mia put Terran in Mako's arms and walked over to Kevin. She placed her hand on his back. He lifted his head and looked up at her.

"Mia, why…?"

Mia knelt before him and shrugged her shoulders, "It all felt hopeless."

"Don't you ever…" Kevin choked up and turned away from her. Mia took his hand.

"I'm sorry."

"Do you still… Are you… Do I need to worry?"

"No."

"You swear, Mia?" Kevin could finally look her right in the eye, "I don't… You can't… I know it hurts. I… want … I want to help you. I can't imagine… I'm so sorry, Mia. I feel like..."

Mia sat on his lap and pulled him into her arms, "It was just a moment, Kevin, I promise."

"It's not just a moment, Mia! What stopped you? Why… why are you still here?"

"Terran. Terran stopped me. And he stopped me for good. You don't have to worry about this."

"I will worry, Mia. How do I know it won't happen again? How do I know you won't feel hopeless again?"

"I'm sorry, Kevin."

"You can talk to me. You should have…"

"I will. I promise, if I feel that way again, I'll come to you."

Kevin shifted and took her in his arms. He squeezed her tight, terrified to let her go.


	19. While They Sleep

Emily sat on her stool in the common room, stirring her soup to let out some of the heat, but by now it was cold. Despite her growing appetite, she wasn't hungry.

"Did I make it wrong?" Mike asked when he walked in and saw Emily hadn't eaten even a single spoonful. "I followed the recipe exactly."

"It's soup from a box," Emily shook her head, "You can't really screw it up."

"Is it too hot? Do you need me to heat it up again? Did I use too much water? Too little? Does the baby not like tomatoes?"

"I don't think the baby has a tongue yet," Emily set the bowl on the table, "I'm going to go check up on Kate…"

"Emily," Mike gently grabbed her arm, "You've been in there all day. The doctor knows what he's doing. She'll be fine."

"I don't think she's waking up," Emily sighed. Mike lifted her chin gently, hoping to get her to look at him. She continued to stare down. He kissed her forehead.

"The doctor said she will wake up."

"The doctor also said the surgeries would speed up Serena's treatment. That we would have her good as new for her senior year, for graduation, for the start of college…"

"And she is better."

"Because of Urumasa and Dekker. She's only alive because of Dekker. To the doctors, she was just a patient."

"Emily…"

"When Serena first got sick, she was a little girl. Just sixteen years old. She had her whole life ahead of her. The doctors were confident that she would eventually recover. The more time she spent in the hospital, and the more aggressive her illness got, the more she turned into some experiment. They started testing stuff on her. One doctor even suggested they try a new, untested drug on her because she was dying anyway and there was nothing to lose."

"This doctor's not like that, Em. He's a friend of Mentor's. That's why he's here. He knows we're the Samurai. He knows we're people. He's going to take care of Kate."

"How much longer? Eventually, he'll realize all he's doing is prolonging… that moment. He'll give up, and then she won't stand a chance. I need to talk to her. She can hear me, I know she can. I need her to know she can't give up."

"She knows not to, Em."

"I don't know where to stick a needle or what to do next, but I do know how I can help. Please, please, Mike, I need to do all I can to help."

"An hour," Mike nodded his head, "and I'll be in there with you. I don't want you stressing out over this, and I don't want you sitting in there by yourself."

Emily gave him a little smile, took his hand, and walked with him down the hallway.

-Samurai-

Kevin paced back and forth in his room. Mia was sound asleep in her bed, safe from harm and even from herself for now.

He had talked to her about her moment of weakness, as she had called it. She assured him it was a moment that had now passed, and she was ready to fight back, but he was still scared.

He tried to put himself in her position. He tried to imagine watching his father's murder, and then being a prisoner of the monster who killed him and of two other monsters who planned on killing her and the rest of her family. He couldn't do it. He couldn't imagine it, because it wasn't something he wanted to imagine. He knew why she had gone to her breaking point. He knew why she had lost hope.

He tucked her into bed and kissed the side of her head. Since he had met her, all he wanted to do was see her smile, to see her happy. He wanted to give her everything she didn't have, everything she wanted, and everything she deserved.

Now, all she wanted was her father. That was it. She just wanted her father, who less than a week ago had been alive and only miles from the Shiba House. Less than a week ago, if she had told Kevin she wanted her father, he could have easily brought him here. He could have easily put a smile back on her face and made her day.

Today, the request was as simple as it would have been a week ago. All she wanted was her father. But today, her father was no longer a car ride away. She would never get her father back again. No matter what Kevin did, he could never give her that one thing she wanted so desperately. One simple, little request – now impossible.

She had been right. The future, as she had imagined it, was gone. Her father would never walk her down the aisle. She would never get the wedding she always dreamed of having. Kevin had learned a long time ago that the little details about her wedding did matter a lot to Mia. She needed something in her life to go right, and for it to stay right. Though she didn't let it show, her broken home tortured her. She didn't want to go through it all again, and least of all, she didn't want to put her own children through the pain.

A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts. He answered it and saw Jayden looking a little out of place.

"Uh… Mrs. Watanabe told me about… I know Mia…"

"Tried to kill herself?"

"Yeah," Jayden nodded nervously. Kevin sighed. He was sure this wasn't something Mia wanted the whole house to know. Jayden rubbed the back of his neck.

"I won't say a word, I swear. Mrs. Watanabe just thought… you know… maybe I could talk to Mia. I was young when I happened, but my father was murdered too."

"I'm desperate enough to try anything," Kevin nodded his head and invited Jayden into the room. "She's sleeping now. Don't wake her up."

"I won't."

"And if she doesn't want to talk, don't make her. You know just as well as I do you can't open her up."

"I know."

"And if she gets upset, just stop talking. I'll be right around the corner if you need me."

"Kevin," Jayden looked to the blue Ranger with a little smile, "I care about her too. I want to see her get better."

"Yeah, right, sorry."

"Fishing's not your thing," Jayden said, "But Antonio's going to go out soon, and with all this crap going on, I'd really like it if he didn't go out alone."

Kevin nodded his head, "I'll go with him. Clear my head a bit. Call my Samuraizer, then, if Mia…"

"Her grandmother's here. We'll both be fine, Kevin. Go have a good time. You're allowed to have a good time."


	20. The Spark And There's Hope - Or Ice-Crea

Mia woke with a start when she opened her eyes and saw a man who wasn't Kevin sitting by her bed, watching her sleep. For a moment she had no idea who he was and panicked, and then she recognized Jayden. Her heart continued to beat out of her chest, but she no longer had to come up with ways of killing the creepy man by her bed. Clutching her chest, she sat up and tried to calm her breathing.

"What the hell, Jay?"

"Sorry," Jayden chuckled, "You were drooling."

Mia frowned and wiped the drool from the side of her mouth. Jayden leaned back in his seat and looked to her, "I know what you did."

Mia turned to him curiously at first, and then it sunk in thanks to the serious look on his face. She sighed loudly and pulled the blankets up a little higher, "Jay…"

"I was six when my dad died. Too young to really think about suicide, but I did give up for a while. It hurts."

"No shit, Sherlock."

Jayden nodded his head, "I mean, it really, really hurts. You keep wondering what he was thinking, what he felt, if there was anything he wanted to say. You wonder what he would say now if he knew everything he didn't know before. You wonder what he would say about you and Kevin."

Mia nodded and sighed, "I shouldn't have let him come."

"I shouldn't have let my father go," Jayden said. "I know I was only six, and I have every excuse in the world, but I still feel like there was something that I should have done. If I had only been a little older, or a little smarter, or a little braver…"

"You? Braver?"

"The thing, is, Mia," Jayden took her hand, "What happened… happened. We can't change that. If you need to talk, anyone here will listen. I know what you're going through, and Kevin and your grandmother want to see you feel better. And none of us what to see you kill yourself. We all need you, Mia."

"Sobo said it gets easier," Mia whispered. "She says I'll learn to live again without him."

"You will," Jayden assured her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "I won't lie to you, you'll live a different life, but you'll learn to enjoy it. And it's okay to enjoy it."

"It doesn't feel that way," Mia shook her head. She pulled her knees to her chest, "Jay… if I tell you something really, really ridiculous, do you promise not to laugh?"

"I promise."

"I tried to kill myself because my father wouldn't be able to walk me down the aisle."

"That's not ridiculous," Jayden gave Mia a comforting smile. "It's stupid, but I know what you mean."

"You do?"

"Remember when Dayu was kidnapping brides and we had all those fake weddings?"

"Where you and I got married?"

"Yeah," Jayden chuckled, "I know it was fake, and I know you knew it was fake, but the way your eyes lit up every time you put on that dress, and every time Ji walked you down the aisle… you really want that perfect wedding, don't you?"

Mia nodded her head, "I've always thought the perfect wedding leads to the perfect marriage, and then to a perfect family, and a perfectly normal life. I love you, Jay, and I love everyone here, but we're not normal. We're not normal, and I've never been normal and…"

"How have you never been normal?"

"I didn't have a normal family. Dad lived in one house, mom lived in another, and I lived in another. I spent my entire life training for a war that might end it. I was only born because someone needed to take the pink Ranger's place after mom…"

"Mia, I know nothing about your family," Jayden shook his head. He took a seat beside her on the bed, "but you weren't born for this. Your parents loved each other. To this day, from what I've seen, they still love each other."

"So?"

"So, Mia, like me, like everyone else on this team, you were born _before_ our parents were Samurai Rangers. You were born _before _they failed to seal Xandred away. _Before_ they knew we had to finish what they and all our ancestors started. You were born, because one night, your parents loved each other enough to create you. You are normal. We're all normal."

"Jay, we're not normal."

"Fine, we're better than normal," Jayden shrugged his shoulders and smiled at Mia, "I don't know about you, but since everyone's come to the Shiba House, I've actually loved life a lot more. I have friends, real friends, who care about me. Ji and I have gotten closer, so I have a dad back, and if things go well with him and Kate, I might even get a mom."

"Seriously?"

"He loves her, Mia," Jayden nodded, "but that's beside the point. Mia, I think we're better than normal. We have what a lot of people wish they had. I mean, Antonio and I are gay, and none of you bat an eyelash at it. Serena screwed with a Nighlok and she still has a home with us. Where are you ever going to go where you get so much unconditional love from people you only met two years ago?"

He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight, "I get it, Mia. I get why it hurts so much that your father won't be able to walk you down the aisle. You have no idea what I would give just to make a paper airplane with my dad one more time. But are you really going to throw away this life, and everything that you have that already makes it so perfect, just for that one moment? I've made hundreds of airplanes with dad. One more time would mean the world to me… but I know he wouldn't want me to give this up."

"Dad's never walked me down the aisle."

"But would he really want you to give all this up just for that? Do you really think he would be impressed if you killed yourself over that one little detail?"

"He'd probably hate me for it."

"I doubt he could hate you," Jayden said. He gave Mia a gentle squeeze and then got up, "Mia, all your father wanted was to see you safe and happy. That's why he wanted to be the pink Ranger. That's why he died. Please, stay safe, if not for yourself, then for him."

Mia nodded her head, "I promise."

-Samurai-

Mike was in the dojo with Serena. Despite her promise, after an hour, Emily refused to leave Kate's side, frustrating Mike. He needed to let off some steam, and he needed to come up with a way to comfort Emily. Right now, it seemed the only thing that could cheer her up was if Kate woke up.

Every minute that passed, it seemed less likely she would. Even the doctor, Mike had noticed while he had been in the room, had started giving up, and was just doing what he could to keep Kate comfortable until the moment where they decided enough was enough.

"MIKE!" a loud shout snapped him from his thoughts, and he looked around to see what had happened. James ran into the room and rushed to Serena's side, helping her up after she had been knocked across the room and into a pile of training equipment. Mike had been told he could turn into the Hulk when he was angry or frustrated, and had seen it happen before. It had just happened again. Normally, he wasn't stronger than Serena. Normally, he couldn't beat her.

"Sorry," he muttered and offered his hand. Serena slapped it away and stormed out of the room, limping slightly from his attack. Mike watched her sadly and then turned to James. The older man looked furious.

"Take it easy on her, Mike! She's having a hard time too!"

"I'm sorry," Mike sighed, "I got distracted. I didn't mean to… what do you mean she's having a hard time?"

"She wants to fight Serrator," James started to pick up the training equipment, putting the swords back up on the racks and straightening up the dummies. "She feels like, now that she's yellow Ranger, and now that Mia's probably going to sit out for the next little while, she needs to get over her fear."

"She does," Mike nodded. James let out a heavy sigh.

"I don't disagree… but she can't push this. If she's scared of him… there's no fast track to curing that. It's not like he's not scary. It's not like he's not going to hurt her. Everything about him that scares her is very real," James turned and looked over at Mike, "and you should be scared of him too. Serrator's given up on Serena. He knows she's broken. He knows that works in his favour. He tried to break Mia, he wants Emily."

"He's not getting her."

"Mike, Dayu walked in here and tried to take her! Your wife and your baby were inches away from Dayu."

"I know that," Mike nodded, "I also know Emily got away."

"Fine, maybe you don't feel like everyone you love is depending on you, but Serena does. At least when Serrator was going after her, she knew the rest of us were safe. She knew Emily was safe with you, and Terran and I were safe with all of you. Now, Serrator's made it clear he wants to break Emily, and Serena can't do anything to stop him."

"Serena's your fiancée. It's your job to fix her," Mike rolled his eyes. "I've got my own issues. Sorry if I put a dent in your progress with Serena, but Emily's…"

"Eighteen years old. She had to step down from her position as yellow Samurai Ranger and defender of the earth because she accidentally got pregnant and can't risk putting her unborn child in harm's way, but by doing that, she has no control over the dangers her husband, her friends, and her sister throw themselves into. Every time you go out to fight, she's not stuck, helplessly wondering if you'll make it back alive, and if the fight would be easier and safer if she were around. At the same time, she had to rescue her sister, and then her aunt, even after they carved the Serrator's name into her shoulder, torturing her for however long that took. When that was done, you challenged her, we all challenged her while she struggled to figure out what the hell was going on with her baby and with her life. Right after that, Dayu comes after her, she watches a man die, comes home and sees her aunt in a coma."

"James…"

"She's living in a mess, Mike. A dangerous, unpredictable mess and she feels like she's going to lose something. At least, if Serena can protect herself against Serrator, and can protect Emily from Serrator, that will be one less thing for your wife to worry about."

"I'm going through all that too. She's carrying the baby, but we're both dealing with this."

"You're dealing a little better than she is," James scoffed and shook his head. "You've gotten off a lot easier than she has. She's been working hard to come back, Mike. Maybe if you took her out for ice-cream a little more, or talked to her a little more, you would know."

"I talk to her plenty."

"Idle chat and '_are you okay'_ won't fix the problem. She's got a lot to say, if you'll listen."

"I will. I am. We do talk! I'm here for her."

"I don't mind helping her out, Mike, and I don't mind being her shoulder to cry on, but you're her husband. You need to step it up."

"I can't wake Kate up!" Mike cried, "If I could, you know I would! I can't! I can't wake her up, I can't stop her from watching Dayu take Mia's dad's head off, I can't stop Serrator coming after her, I can't do this, James!"

Mike was about to throw his sword at James when someone grabbed his wrist. Looking down, he saw Emily standing before him. He dropped the sword and pulled her into his arms. He sobbed into her shoulder, "I'd do it all for you, Em. If I could…"

"I know. I like James' idea, though."

"What idea?"

"I think it's time we really talk about what's happened."

"We know what's happened, Em."

"Yeah, we know _what's _happened. Mike, I'm fine sitting out, I really am, but… can we have ice-cream?"

"There's a tub in the freezer," James said, "You'll have the kitchen to yourselves to talk. Don't leave the house. We don't need more shit happening."

"We'll stay home," Mike promised. He took Emily in his arms, "I'm sorry, things have been rough for you."

"You too," Emily nodded, "What are we going to do? I heard James, what if Serrator does want me?"

"You can't let him break you, Em."

"He broke Serena."

"You're stronger than she is."

"No, I'm…"

"You're stronger, and you know that if Serrator ever even thinks of hurting you, I'll protect you."

"What if you're not around? What if he takes me and…"

"I'll come find you. You'll just have to hold on until then."

"What if I can't?"

"Emily," Mike grabbed her by the arms and looked her in the eyes, "I don't know who designed man and woman, but they've been designed wrong. If Serrator, and if you, think for one moment that I won't find you as soon as possible when you _and _our baby are in trouble, then you've officially lost it. I've got all my eggs in one basket. One basket I sure as hell am not going to lose."

"What if you don't make it? What if I'm alone? You've already died once… what if your second chance expires? Dayu killed Mia's dad. Dekker wants to kill Jayden. Serrator…"

"If I die, there's one thing I want from you."

"What's that?"

"Never give up," Mike kissed her forehead, "You're strong enough to handle all of this by yourself, I know you are. Just as long as you never give up."

"Same," Emily nodded, "If something does happen to me, I just want you to be happy. And if something does happen to me, and there's a chance you can save the baby."

"That's not possible right now, Emily. The baby needs you."

"I'm being optimistic," Emily smiled, "I'm assuming we've made it to the point where the baby doesn't really need me anymore."

"This is the most depressing optimism I've ever seen. I've seen pessimist with a more positive outlook."

"Save baby, okay?" Emily looked up at Mike. He nodded his head.

"Is that really what you want?"

"Yeah."

"I'll save baby, but… that's all I can promise. That, and that I won't let Serrator hurt you."

Emily nodded her head, "I hated Mia's dad… but not enough to enjoy watching him die."

"It scares me too."

"It doesn't scare me… Kate is scaring me. She won't wake up, will she?"

"I don't know, Em, but you won't be alone."

"Of course not," Emily looked up at Mike with a little smile as she placed her hand on her stomach, "I'm two people now. I couldn't be alone if I tried."

"We'll be okay," Mike promised her as he took her hand, "We're in a bad spot right now. Our friends are hurting but… we're okay. You're safe, I'm safe, we have a baby."

"I think everyone needs some ice-cream," Emily smiled. "I think everyone needs to know we're all going to be okay."

"And you think ice-cream will tell them that?"

"No, ice-cream doesn't talk, silly," Emily shook her head and playfully skipped to the kitchen. Mike followed her, shaking his head. Emily pulled the big tub of ice-cream from the freezer and looked to Mike, "We're going to tell them that."

"So why the ice-cream?"

"Why not the ice-cream? It's freaking magic, Mike. Chocolate flavoured magic."

As she opened the tub, Mike grabbed the bowls from the cupboard and lay them out on the counter. Emily scooped some ice-cream into each bowl, making sure everyone got a fair amount, until she reached the last bowl. She returned it to Mike, stuck a spoon in the tub and smiled.

"You're not going to eat all that by yourself, are you?"

"Mike, I see one of two things happening if I eat this ice-cream," Emily nodded, "One, either the world goes to hell in a hand basket, and if that's the case, I don't think my weight will be much of an issue. At least, in my dying moments, I can think about the time I ate half a giant tub of ice-cream."

"You're ridiculous, Emily."

"Or," Emily pointed the spoon at Mike, smiling a little bigger, "Everything works out magically, and my biggest problem will be obesity and very likely, diabetes. I do eat a lot of sugar. Oh, and our baby will be born with an ice-cream addiction."

"Ice-cream is magic," Mike nodded. He collected a few of the bowls, "Shall we go deliver magic?"

"We shall," Emily smiled and took what was left of the bowls, while never letting go of her tub. As she walked behind Mike she looked at him and smiled, "I love you, Mike."

"I love you, too, Em."


	21. Just Try

Mike didn't want to believe it at first but seeing all the happy faces around the room were proof that ice-cream was, in fact, magic.

Jayden and Antonio were nestled in each other's arms, happily watching their friends and conversing with them. They didn't seem to have a care in the world, though the opposite was true. With a bowl of ice-cream in each other their hands, they looked like they were having the time of their life. For them, everything was starting to go well again. Ji was back up on his feet, and though he was struggling with the wounds in his chest still, Jayden didn't need to worry about him anymore. A healthy Ji made for a happy Jayden, and a happy Jayden made for a happy couple with Antonio. Life was back on track for them.

Serena and James were happy as well. Though ice-cream wouldn't cure Serena's fear of facing Serrator again, for now she could forget about it. She forgot about her time with him, she forgot about his strange obsession with her family, and she could even forget she was the yellow Ranger, instead of the white. Though the Rangers did occasionally tried to break the habit, they always found themselves drawn to the colour of their spandex. Everything in their lives had to be touched by whatever their designated Ranger colour was. Serena had gravitated away from yellow and towards white when she had been the white Ranger, but as soon as she had been told she was taking Emily's place, her wardrobe suddenly changed, overnight it seemed, back to yellow. Now, as she sat with the group in the dojo, she had on a white shirt, and a big bright smile on her face.

Ji was laughing along with the Samurai, despite the love of his life still hanging on for hers. Mike had recently discovered just how much Ji had fallen for Kate, and just how bad that was for Ji. He had only just figured out his emotions after the attack, and hadn't yet gotten the chance to really tell Kate how he felt about her. Mike remembered the first time he heard Emily say she loved him, and he remembered the first time he told her. The timing hadn't been ideal either – they had been in the middle of a fight – but he remembered how his heart had fluttered and he remembered knowing she was the one.

Even Mia, who had nothing to smile for, was laughing like she had nothing to be sad about. She was curled up in Kevin's arms, taking strength from him, but her behaviour and her body language made it seem like the strong, the level-headed, Momma Pink was back. Mike felt a bit safer knowing the Mia he knew and loved was back, even just for a night, and was glad he and Emily found something to cheer her up after her father's death. The smile on Kevin's face was something Mike enjoyed as well, and Mike got a feeling the smile on Kevin's face meant things were getting better for him, and for Mia as well, which was a good thing.

Mako was even laughing along with the Samurai. She stuck close to Mia, and would occasionally glance her way with something of a worried look, but seeing Mia happy made her happy again, and it looked as though Mia's smile reassured her. Mike wasn't sure what Mako was worried about, but assumed everything was now under control.

Then Mike turned to Emily and an even brighter smile lit up his face when he saw what all the Samurai were laughing at now. Emily had a big bouncy ball in her hands and was playing with Terran. The little boy had seen balls before, and had seen them bounce when they were tossed on the floor, but he had never seen any bounce as much as the bouncy ball. His eyes lit up when his aunt tossed the ball on the floor and it bounced up and hit the ceiling. He would try to catch the ball as it came down, but he hadn't yet mastered hand-eye coordination and the ball would slip between his hands, hit the floor, and bounce all the way back up again. His squeals of excitement, his laughter, and occasional shouts of confusion made everyone laugh.

"Ba, ba, ba!" he cried as he spun around in a circle, trying to chase the ball that wouldn't stop bouncing around him.

"Ball," Emily nodded. She caught the ball in her hands and showed it to Terran. He instantly snatched it from her and threw it as far as he could. It just barely managed to hit the wall and bounced right back, flying by Terran. He screamed happily and jumped as he saw it bounce all around the room.

When the ball came back to Emily, she caught it and hide it behind her back. Terran looked at her, waiting for her to toss it again, but the ball never reappeared.

"Is Auntie Emy being mean, Terran?" Serena asked when she saw Terran start looking for the ball. "What did she do with it, huh Terran?"

"Ba, ba, ba, ba, ba!" Terran shouted at Emily and stomped his feet. Emily giggled. _Ba_ was his favourite sound.

"Ba, ba, ba, ba, ball," she said and presented the ball to him once more. Terran's face lit up, like the ball was a special treasure. He bounced in excitement as Emily wound herself up for the throw, and then followed the direction of the ball when her hand shot out.

Only there was nothing bouncing around the room. Terran looked and looked, but he didn't see anything. He turned around so his aunt would know something was wrong, and the gasped when the ball was in her hand. The Samurai laughed as he squealed happily at the return of the ball that had never truly disappeared.

"Are you ready, Terran?" Emily asked him and this time threw the ball. Terran ran after it, following it all around the room so he wouldn't lose it again. As he did that, Emily leaned into Mike's arms. She loved her nephew, and she loved playing with him, but enough was enough.

"I love that smile," Mike whispered in her ear as he cuddled her. Emily beamed and nestled into him. Suddenly, something crashed into her legs, and then smacked them.

"Ba, ba, ba, ba, BA!" the last one was timed perfectly with the bouncy ball hitting her in the face. She was done playing, but Terran wasn't.

"No more. Go play with mommy," Emily turned Terran around to Serena. He turned back to her. She turned him around. He turned back.

"Parenting 101:" Serena chuckled as Emily lifted Terran on her lap, hoping they could cuddle instead of throwing the ball around, "what you want doesn't matter anymore."

Emily learned that the hard way. She had to cuddle with Terran now that he was on her lap, but she also wanted to cuddle with Mike. When she tried to lean back into him, Terran wouldn't have it. He held out his hand and pushed Mike away, shouting his _ba_s for him to back off.

"He does that with me too, sometimes," James chuckled, reassuring Mike as his wife was taken from him by the little boy. "He's a real lady's man."

"I can see that," Mike nodded and went to work on compromising with a boy whose only argument was the sound _ba_.

Kevin, meanwhile, nestled into Mia and kissed her neck softly, "How are you feeling?"

"I still miss him," Mia whispered, "but Jayden's words are really hitting me now. I've still got all this to live for. Dad wouldn't want me throwing that away."

Kevin shook his head, "I know you had a few bumps with your dad recently, but he really was special, wasn't he?"

"He was my father," Mia nodded. "I wish I had introduced you to him sooner. I wish he knew."

"Me too," Kevin said and then sighed loudly, "Mia… what you did… what you almost did…"

"It'll never happen again," Mia shifted in his arms and looked up at him, "I promise, Kevin, it was one moment of weakness. I was just thinking how grateful I am for Terran. If he hadn't of baaed like a little lamb… who knows what could have happened to me?"

"Hey, little lamb," Kevin smirked as he looked to Terran. Naturally, unaware he was being called, Terran ignored Kevin completely and continued his babbling rant to Mike on why Emily belonged to only him. Kevin chuckled and reached over, tapping Terran on the back. He turned around that time and saw Kevin. The blue Ranger gently pulled Terran over and sat him down on Mia's lap, "You can steal my fiancée if you want."

Terran plopped down on Mia's lap, and sat, looking out at the older Samurai like he was in charge of all of them. He grinned happily, until Kevin tried to wrap his arm around Mia's shoulders. He shouted and held out his hand, demanding Kevin not touch his new throne. Kevin obeyed his request. He didn't mind at all. Without Terran, it was very possible he wouldn't have a fiancée to fight for.

"You win this time, little lamb."

"BA!"

With Terran no longer on her case, Emily finished what was left of her tub of ice-cream and then got up to put it away. Serena got up with her.

"Emy, wait up," she caught up to her little sister and wrapped her arms around her, "Ice-cream was a good idea."

"I keep telling people it's the best food ever. Now do you believe me?"

"I always did," Serena kissed the top of Emily's head and then turned her around so they were face to face. She smiled at her, "Can you help me with something?"

"With what?"

"Facing my fears. Serrator still freaks me out. I'm no good in yellow, or even in white, if I can't fight when Serrator's around."

Emily smiled brightly and nodded her head, "I'll come up with something to help you. I'll do something like what Dr. Fletcher did with me, only I promise I won't burn the house down with you in it."

"He's a crazy man," Serena sighed, "but his ideas work. So you'll help me out?"

"Of course. It's my new job now, remember?" Emily rubbed her stomach and looked up at her sister. Serena had a mixed look on her face, which Emily deciphered as both joy and disgust. She knew the look, because she had worn it before. Still, to this day, the thought of Terran's origin could give Emily both those feelings at once. Emily nudged Serena, "I hear you want a girl too."

Serena nodded, "I love Terran, but it would be pretty fun having a little girl around the house."

Emily nodded her head and went to the sink to wash out the tub. As the teeny, tiny bits of ice-cream washed away, Emily couldn't help but smile. Her ice-cream plan had worked. Their problems weren't gone, but the Rangers spirits had been lifted. Everyone was feeling readier to face the challenges that lay ahead. As she finished with the tub and placed it in the recycling, she turned around and saw Serena standing by the fridge, just staring into it.

"What? Ice-cream magic has worn off on you, hasn't it?"

"What?" Serena shook her head and turned to Emily, snapping herself from her thoughts. Seeing Emily was no longer on her ice-cream high, Serena realized what she had done, "Sorry, Em."

"This Serrator thing is getting ridiculous, Serena," Emily groaned. "He hurt you, hurt him back!"

Serena shook her head and walked to the table to sit down. Emily sat down with her, "Talk to me."

"You remember being bullied?"

"Obviously."

"Do you remember never standing up to them?"

"Yeah."

"Do you remember why?"

"I was scared," Emily nodded and looked to her sister, "but Serena, that's different…"

"Those were just a couple of punks, Emily," Serena said, "Serrator's a monster. He's a real monster! He's kicked my ass before. He's kicked all our asses before. If I stand up to him, I'm going to lose."

"No you're not."

"We've always lost against him."

"No we haven't!"

"Then why isn't he dead?"

"Why aren't we dead?" Emily flipped the question around and shook her head, "Serena, you beat him!"

"I didn't! You saved me from him. You all saved me! He handed me my ass. I was nothing! I knelt at his feet like a freaking slave! I did everything he asked me to do without second thought. I carved you like a freaking pumpkin!"

"Stop this!" Emily cried and smashed her fists into the table. Tears started to run down her cheeks, "We were all just happy!"

"Emily, it was a lie. You're still pregnant, Mia's dad's still dead, Kate's probably dead too…"

"No, she's not! She won't die! She can't die!"

"There's been nothing from her for days, Emily. Serrator's getting everything he wanted and more!"

"Because you're giving it to him!"

"He's taking it!"

"You're letting him."

Serena scoffed and shook her head, "You're living in a lie right now, Emily. You're happy now, but we're all going to hell in a hand-basket. It was stupid to think we could do this."

Serena got up and stormed off, shoving her way past the crowd of Samurai who had formed around the kitchen entrance. As she stormed out of the house and into the yard, Emily followed her.

"Where are you going?"

"Leave me alone, Emily!"

Emily shook her head and raced after Serena. She jumped up on her sister's back and hugged her tight.

"I'm not letting you give up," she said with a shake of her head, "We can do this, Serena, I promise. You just have to believe things can get better."

"Get off me," Serena tried to pull her sister's arms apart, but Emily knew how to hold on tightly.

"Please, Serena. You're making progress…"

"It's not enough."

"It was enough to save Mia! You helped save her from Serrator! I know you're scared, but please…"

"Let me go, Emily."

"No," Emily hugged her sister's neck and wrapped her legs around Serena's waist. Without her sister's help, Emily was up for another piggy back ride. Serena groaned. There would be no getting her off now, but she tried.

"Seriously, Emily, this job isn't for me," Serena tried to pry her sister's legs and arms apart, but to no avail. "You're being ridiculous, Emily."

"This job has to be for you. I can't fight! I'm sorry, Serena, but I need you to take my place. I'd fight for you and Terran. I've done it before. Now I need you…"

"I'm not the Samurai for the job. Get off of me," she backed into the gate, pressing her sister against the wall and her body, hoping it would be enough to convince Emily to let her go.

"I've always believe in you, Serena. You've always been strong enough to fight the Nighlok. You kick butt all the time! Serrator's going to be no different. I'll help you! You'll be ready for him."

"I don't want to fight him."

"You give up too easily."

"We can do this. I'll help you. We're all going to help you!"

"And what if I can't do it?"

"Please," Emily buried her face in her sister's shoulder. "Please, please, please, Serena. Please try."

At that very moment, the Gap Sensor sounded. The Samurai, who had been watching from the porch, had a look at their Samuraizers and then the boys rushed out. Mia hesitated for a moment, and then took her Samuraizer back from her grandmother and followed them. Her father's death still weighed heavily on her, but his death wouldn't be the end of her world, or the world itself.

Emily reached down into Serena's pocket and pulled out the yellow Samuraizer, "A long, long time ago, you trusted me with this. Now, I'm trusting you. Serrator could be right on the other side of the gates, but I know you have it in you to fight. I never wanted to let you down."

"You never did."

"Please don't let me down," Emily whispered. She gave her sister another hug, "I trust you. Fight as hard as you can. Protect my friends. Protect my husband. Just do your best. Please."

"I'm going to let you down…"

"No you won't! If you just try…"

"Emy, I'm serious, I need to let you down," Serena said and moved away from the gate, "I can't fight with you on my back."

"Right," Emily nodded and put her feet back on the ground. She looked at Serena, "I'll be watching. If you and the others need help, I'll come. Don't make me come."

"I won't," Serena shook her head and kissed her sister's cheek.


	22. Bugging The Samurai Rangers

Serena put on a brave face as she and the other Samurai arrived to the battle. As they expected, there was a Nighlok running around, terrorizing the people. Many were trying to get away, but many more were on the ground. They clutched their stomachs tightly as they rolled around and screamed in agony. The Nighlok had done something to them, that much was obvious. Serena, seeing her opportunity to help, looked to Jayden and gave him a little nod.

"I can get these people out of here," she told him. This was just a regular Nighlok attack, but she knew Serrator wasn't too far away. She wanted to help her team, but if Serrator turned up she didn't want to be a burden. She had promised Emily she would try her best, but she knew what would happen if she saw Serrator.

"Go for it," Jayden nodded. Serena smiled and rushed over to one of the people on the street. Telling him he would be okay, she pulled him up to his feet and started to walk him off the battlefield. Given how much pain these people seemed to be in, and how it seemed unlikely they would leave on their own, Serena needed to clear them out so they didn't accidentally get hit or killed in an attack. She took them around a corner and laid them down where an ambulance and the paramedics would easily be able to reach them.

When she was done, she knew what she had to do. The other Rangers were busy fighting the Moogers while the Nighlok watched. There were no more people left for him to attack so he kept his focus on the Rangers. He stood a little ways off from them, and Serena watched as he unleashed a swarm of what looked to be bugs. They flew around the Rangers, and the swarm was big enough to blind them.

"I'm not afraid of a few bugs," Serena shook her head. She pulled out her Spin Sword and charged the Nighlok from behind, taking him by surprise. She landed a few swipes across his back before he turned around and unleashed him swarm right in her face. As Serena tried to swat them away, she felt a light breeze. Looking around, she saw she was in the middle of one of Mike's Leaf Storm attack. The leaves were cutting at the bugs, taking them out quickly and when they fell again, Serena could see what she was doing. She swiped at the Nighlok again, but he disappeared, retreating right into a Gap, leaving Serena to slash at midair.

She threw her Spin Sword to the ground when she saw the Nighlok had gotten away, "Dammit."

"You did good," Mike told her as he came over and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"If I hadn't of been so worried about Serrator, I could have helped you guys sooner," Serena told him. Mike wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Someone needed to get those people away. You did the right thing. The Nighlok just escaped. We'll get him next time."

"Why did he run?" Kevin asked and looked to the Samurai, "Serrator… I don't like that guy. I don't like him at all."

"Let's go home," Mia suggested as sirens could be heard wailing in the distance.

-Samurai-

While Mako had her eyes on the map, Emily was waiting by the door. It was obvious to everyone at the Shiba House that the Nighlok had gotten away, but Emily wanted to congratulate her sister for going out to the fight, despite the risk of Serrator turning up. Emily knew firsthand how hard it was to come face to face with her fears.

"What was he like?" she bombarded them with questions right as they got into the house. "Was he ugly? Did he say cheesy things? Did you say cheesy things? Did he almost win and dry up? Did you almost win and he saved himself? C'mon, guys, I need details."

"Emily, we just got home," Serena placed her hand on top of her sister's head, stopping Emily from bouncing up and down. "The Nighlok got away before anything could happen."

"It was the strangest thing," Kevin said and made his way past Emily and into the common room. She watched him go and then shook his head. Sometimes she didn't understand what was going through Kevin's head.

"We're all fine, though," Jayden promised Emily, "No real damage."

"What did he look like?" Emily asked. Jayden gestured for her and the rest of the team to follow him into the common room. As they walked by the map, Mia looked over and saw her grandmother and Kevin seemed to be whispering to each other, as if they were working together on some sort of project.

"Freaky, huh," Serena whispered in Mia's ear and the pink Ranger nodded. "The other day, I saw James had received an email from my dad. Dad hasn't emailed me in weeks."

"Girls," Jayden called as he held out a book, "I knew this Nighlok seemed familiar."

"What does he do?" Emily asked.

"The people I carried away kept complaining about their stomach," Serena said. She looked to Jayden, "It's not a coincidence, is it?"

"Those bugs we saw make people sick," Jayden nodded his head. "If you get stung by one… you're done."

"What do you mean done?" Mike asked, snatching the book from Jayden's hands so he could have a look for himself, "Dude, incurable?"

"No one knows a cure for it," Ji said as he joined the circle by the bookshelf, and then gestured to Kevin and Mako, "They've found something."

"Really?" Mia turned around and saw glowing points on the map. She leaned over to see what they had done, "What's that?"

"Serrator's been attacking us a lot, and since he kidnapped Serena, he's made it really obvious he has a plan," Kevin explained.

"He was up to something when he kidnapped me too," Mia nodded her head. She pointed to the map, "What's with the dots."

"At first, it didn't make sense," Mako said. The Rangers gathered around and took a seat on their stools to listen. Mako looked around the room to make sure they were all listening and then continued, "I had Kevin tell me all the places Serrator's ever turned up. He's been everywhere."

"And you remember all of them?" Antonio asked, raising an eyebrow at Kevin, "_All_ of them."

"Enough of them," Kevin nodded. "There were too many, so we focused only on the times Serrator's attacked us."

"But there were still too many," Mako said. "Especially lately, he's been everywhere. He's been doing everything himself. Which is why it's weird he would send a Nighlok out now. If he wanted to destroy you guys, he would just do it."

"So we looked at all the times Serrator's used a Nighlok to attack the city," Kevin pointed to the marks on the map, "Notice anything?"

"It's a straight line," Jayden said.

"Right through the city," Ji added.

"What are the odds this is all just a coincidence?" Mike asked and looked around, "I mean, Serrator's good, but is he really that good?"

"Mike, when was the last time we had a coincidence?" Kevin rolled his eyes. "This is part of Serrator's plan. All this time, he's been up to something."

"Yeah, flooding the Earth," Mike nodded, "All Nighlok want to flood the…"

"A crack," Serena whispered. "One giant crack."

"What?" Emily asked her. Serena looked to her worriedly.

"You know when we go to cover up the small puddles of Sanzu Water that break through our world? You know how they always seem to pop up in places where a Nighlok has attacked recently? You know how they always seem to come from a crack in the pavement?"

"Yeah…"

"What if Serrator were to make one giant crack?" Serena asked.

"We'd have more than just a puddle to worry about," Jayden said. He looked to Serena, "That's why he wanted you or Emily. You're Earth. If you used your Symbol Power, you could split the Earth in two."

"I'm a back-up plan," Serena shook her head. "I'm just in case Serrator's first plan doesn't work out."

"Do you know what his first plan is?"

"He's spending a lot of time with Dekker and Dayu," Mia said. "They're working together. Serrator needs them for something."

"I guess it's time we've all got to be extra very careful," Emily said just as Storm came into the room and looked to her very eagerly. When Storm saw she had Emily's attention, she raced to the door. Emily got up, knowing her dog needed to be let out to pee. "I'll be right back."

"Extra very careful is probably right," Ji nodded. "If Serrator's got a plan as big as this, we're going to need to be very careful with whatever he decides to do next."

All eyes turned to Serena. She frowned, "Hey, don't give me that look! I'm trying!"

"You have to get over this Serrator thing," Antonio gave her a sympathetic look. "We're already down a white Ranger. We can't afford any panic attacks from you mid-fight."

"I'll work on it, I…" before she could finish, the Gap Sensor blared and a new spot appeared on the map, just outside the Shiba House. Just as everyone was about to get up to see who dared venture this close to the house they heard a scream.

"Emily!" in a flash, Mike ran outside. The others were right behind him. Mike didn't bother to look where he was going once he was outside. He saw Emily on the ground and dropped by her side, pulling her into his arms, "Emily, are you okay?"

Emily's face was twisted in agony as she clutched her stomach. She looked just like the people the Nighlok had attacked earlier, but it was impossible. She hadn't gone near the battlefield. She hadn't left the Shiba House.

"Rangers!" Serrator's voice caught their ears as everyone but Mike turned to the gate. It was shut, but they were all sure they had heard him. Very carefully, Jayden and Kevin walked to the Gate and opened it. Serrator stood just on the other side with the Nighlok from earlier.

"What did you do?" Antonio shouted.

"It's the bugs," Serena whispered and glanced over to her sister, "The bugs got in."

"I have a deal to make with you, Rangers," Serrator announced. Mia's blood instantly ran cold. The last deal with a Nighlok had killed her father. Serrator continued, knowing he had the Rangers' attention. "I will defeat my own Nighlok, relieving your… spare Ranger of her pain, if Serena comes with me."

"You're going to destroy me?" the Nighlok turned to Serrator, completely stunned and then shook his head, "I'm not going to let that happen!"

A Gap opened up and the Nighlok disappeared. Serrator rolled his eyes.

"There is nowhere for him to run," he turned to the Samurai, "So, what do you say. Serena…?"

A lump formed in Mia's throat. This was very bad. James grabbed Serena by the arm and held her back. Though it would be great if Serrator started destroying his own monsters, it wasn't worth risking Serena. Especially now that they all had a better idea of what Serrator had in mind with his plan.

"We'll find another way…"

"The baby," Serena whispered to James and then glanced to her sister again, "What about the baby?"

"If you help Serrator split the earth open, the baby doesn't stand a chance anyways," James told her. "We'll do this the old fashion way. The Rangers will defeat the Nighlok and everything will be okay."

"He's lying," Mia said. "They tell you want you want to hear, but as soon as you give them what they want, they don't care about you anymore."

Serena looked over to her sister again. Even if Serrator did deliver on his promise to destroy the Nighlok and end Emily's pain, it would still take time – and Serrator never promised he would destroy the Nighlok in a timely manner. Serena closed her eyes as it hit her: they were screwed either way.

"No deal," she shook her head while her hand reached into her pocket, pulling out her Samuraizer. She traced a symbol in the air and little shards of rocks appeared and then flew to Serrator. He was under attack, and with the Shield still up around the house, he couldn't walk in and attack the Samurai. He didn't even have little bugs that were too small to sneak through the Shield undetected. From here, the Samurai could attack him with their Symbol Power, and he would either have to stand by and take it, or leave.

So he left.

Serena put her Samuraizer away and ran over to Emily. Mike, Mako, and Ji were already looking over her, trying to help. Serena pushed her way past Mako and Ji and knelt beside her sister.

"It's okay, Emily," she told her. "It's your stomach that hurts?"

"Jay… incurable…"

"I know what he said," Serena nodded, "We beat the odds before."

She looked up at Mike, "Get her inside."

"Why didn't you go with him?" Mike asked her. He had heard the deal Serrator had made and considered it an out. With Emily in so much pain, and his baby at risk as well, Serena could understand Mike was thinking straight.

"I have a plan. A better one. You trust me, right?" she didn't have a plan, but she couldn't have Mike yelling at her while she and the others tried to think of something to help. Emily needed to stay strong, and that wouldn't happen if her husband and sister were at each other's throats. "Get her inside."

Mike nodded and carried Emily inside. James walked up behind Serena and put his hands on her shoulders.

"You have a plan?"

"Nope," Serena whispered. James helped her back up to her feet, "but it couldn't hurt if we start by figuring out what exactly causes the pain – and if it actually is dangerous for the baby."

"I'll see if I can find something," Ji said as he raced inside the house. Jayden, Kevin and Mako were right behind him, ready to help.

"I'll go help Mike make Emily comfortable," Antonio announced as he too rushed inside.

Serena looked to James, "That's a good idea. Mike's going to be worried."

"I'll help with that. You go to research with Ji. Find something and fast."

As they went inside, Mia found herself in the yard by herself. She looked to the gate where Serrator had been standing. No deal had been made, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing. She knew she couldn't do it – if they didn't find a cure or defeat the Nighlok in time – she couldn't stand it if she lost her father, and then her best friend and her niece or nephew. It would be way too much to handle.

Whining pulled her from her thoughts, and she turned her head to find Storm sitting on the spot where Emily had been in pain. The little dog was crying as she sat on the spot and looked into the house. The look on her face told Mia she was confused about what to do now. Mia walked over and scooped her up in her arms.

"It's going to be okay," she told the little Shiba. She walked into the house with the scared little dog in her arms.


End file.
